Mass Effect: Vae Victum
by MelasZepheos
Summary: Trapped between warring species on every side, the threat of galactic extinction closing in fast, Maia Shepard fights a last desperate war for survival. A novelisation of Mass Effect 3, the concluding chapter in Maia Shepard's story, begun in Mass Effect: Into Greatness and continued in Mass Effect: Out of the Dark
1. Chapter 1

**AN:-** The long awaited sequel. It's finally here.

Chapter One: Earth

Maia Shepard sat in a cell and stared at the new dress uniform she had been issued. More specifically she stared at the new insignia on it. Because to her it looked a hell of a lot like a captain's insignia. And that was what the official looking letter had cited her as, in the same paragraph that it declared she was going to lose her commission.

The door slid open and James Vega strolled in. She had so far only spoken to him while they were off duty, which for her was now apparently an all the time sort of deal. He grinned when he saw what she was looking at.

"They promoted you?"

She nodded and ran her fingers over the bars, enjoying the tactile sensation of the metal under her enhanced fingertips. Six months in what was practically solitary confinement had finally given her enough time to come to grips with the majority of her cybernetic upgrades. "Technically they've been promoting me ever since I destroyed Saren and saved the Council. I guess it just took up until now for it to finally come through."

"Just in time for them to drum you out of the military."

"Well you know what they say about the wheels of bureaucracy."

She chuckled and tossed the jacket over the back of her chair, pacing over to the window. "When it comes to wheels and bureaucracy I'm mostly familiar with crushing sensations I'm afraid."

He stood next to her and they both looked down at the view. Lots of water and chromed metal, all very regimented and precise. She found that much comforting. Being planet side for so long was never her first choice.

"Any idea when the court martial is?"

He shifted uncomfortably and she grinned. "Forget I asked. I'm just going a little stir crazy, cooped up in here."

"Understandable."

Outside her window she could see a small grassy area, a couple of people walking across it and looking out across the water. "They have no idea," she said quietly.

"Shepard?"

She shook her head. "Forget it." She rolled her shoulders and stepped back from the window. "Poker?"

/|\

Hands reached out from every direction to claw at her, pulling her from her bed and down into darkness. It smothered her, filling her lungs as she took a desperate breath. Something had her round the neck, and she struggled to fight it off, trying to call out for her allies. Strong fingers gripped her face and wrenched her head round. She stared into brown eyes she recognised, a strong face that still held kindness.

Or had, when he had been alive. Now Kaidan stared at her with nothing but hatred, his eyes beginning to glow from within, metal pushing aside the human eyeballs. His cheeks sank deep into his face and the skin stretched back on the skull, turning grey as circuitry pushed through from beneath. The unearthly screech filled her head and no matter how she tried to turn away she was forced to watch as the husk of Kaidan began to burn from the inside with nuclear fire.

She woke up on the floor, her heart hammering, drenched in sweat and desperately struggling to draw breath. Her fingers hurt and she realised she had clawed at the floor hard enough to tear her nails. Snatching her hand to her chest she fought her way out of the bedding and managed to stand, staggering to the bathroom and falling against the sink.

The energy drained out of her and she sank to the floor, curling up around the sick feeling in her stomach. Another side effect of Miranda's experiments on her. No matter how much she wanted to and how hard she tried she was entirely unable to vomit anything other than actual poison. Her lungs were finally working again, and she drew in several shaking breaths as her head slumped against the wall.

/|\

A little boy was playing with a toy shuttle on the grass area outside her window. She watched him with a faint smile tugging at her lips as he ran round and round with it. She could absolutely imagine him making the whooshing noises and playing that his shuttle was about to set down on some unknown planet. She could faintly remember doing the same thing once upon a time. A little bit too long ago for her liking, but she could appreciate the reminder.

Her door cycled open and she heard the distinctive heavy tread of James, turning away from the window to smile at him as he snapped to attention and saluted. "Commander."

"You're not supposed to call me that anymore James," she said. No matter his informal manner when off duty she hadn't been able to make him relax when on duty. "And isn't it Captain now?"

"Not supposed to salute you either." The words were joking but he hadn't cracked a smile. "We gotta go." There it was. "The Defence Committee wants to see you."

"Sounds important." She crossed to the door and out into the hall, watching half a dozen marines hurry past her.

"What's going on?"

James led her through the building at a jog. She had barely seen any of it, preferring to stay in her room. "Couldn't say. They just told me they needed you." A stern looking officer actually ran past them and James gave her a significant look. "Now."

Up ahead she finally saw a face she recognised, in the middle of a concourse with people swarming around him. She and Vega came to a halt and Vega saluted.

Shepard simply nodded. "Anderson."

"Admiral," Vega said.

Still no smiles, even from the admiral. Perhaps there was a real situation here. "You look good Shepard, maybe a little soft round the edges." He turned on his heel and started marching away from the little crowd of people that had congregated around him. "How you holding up since being relieved from duty?"

She grinned. Having spent most of the last year feeling like she was deathly gaunt and pale it was actually a relief to have recovered some of the flesh to her face. "It's not so bad once you get used to the hot food and soft beds."

"We'll get that sorted out."

They had to pause at the bottom of some stairs as a whole cabal of officers went hurrying past them. "What's going on?" She asked. "Why is everyone in such a hurry?"

"Admiral Hackett's mobilising the fleets. I'm guessing word's made it to Alliance Command. Something big's heading our way."

Her chest went cold and the memory of Kaidan, husk eyes blazing in his face, caught her. "The Reapers."

Anderson carried on up the stairs. "We don't know, not for certain."

"What else could it be?"

"If I knew that…" He shrugged.

"You know we're not ready if it is them, not by a long shot."

"Tell that to the Defence Committee."

She was beginning to feel a special hatred for that particular C word. "Unless they're planning to talk the Reapers to death the Committee is a waste of time."

"They're just scared. None of them have seen what you've seen. You've faced down the Reapers. Hell you spoke to one, then blew the damn thing up. You've seen how they harvest us, what they plan to do to us. You know more about this enemy than anyone."

 _Thanks, because I wasn't aware of my own achievements. And nightmares._ "That why they grounded me, took away my ship?"

He rounded on her and she was shocked at the anger in his eyes. "You know that's not true! When you blew up the batarian relay hundreds of thousands of batarians died."

She bristled. Of anyone she would have expected him to understand how that would weigh on her. "It was that or let the Reapers walk through our backdoor."

"I know that Shepard." Anderson took a breath and calmed down considerably. "And so does the Committee. If it wasn't for that you'd have been court-martialled and left to rot in the brig."

"That and your good word." She couldn't keep the sarcasm from her voice.

"Yeah." She didn't recognise the part of the building he had brought her into. "I trust you Shepard. And so does the Committee."

 _Just what I wanted. More trust on my shoulders._ "I'm just a soldier Anderson, I'm no politician."

"I don't need you to be either. I just need you to do whatever the hell it takes to stop the Reapers."

 _And if it's not possible?"_

One of the aides looked up and saw the three of them approaching. "They're expecting you too Admiral," she said, pointing them through a doorway to one side of the central area.

Anderson marched on ahead as Shepard turned back to Vega. "Good luck in there Shepard," he said with sincerity, holding out his hand.

She shook it gratefully, then cocked her head as a familiar voice came to her.

"Shepard."

She turned and stared in shock at the woman who was now talking to the Admiral. "Ashley?"

It was quite clear that none of them knew quite how to react to her being so informal with them. She was actually enjoying it. If they wanted to take away her commission then they could deal with her calling them by their first names. Ashley twitched a little at it.

"Lieutenant-Commander," Anderson said. "How'd it go in there?"

"I can never tell with them. I'm just waiting for orders now."

 _Same old Ashley. But something new._ "Lieutenant-Commander?"

"You hadn't heard."

"No. I'm a bit out of the loop these days." Once more the bite of sarcasm she couldn't quite disguise. After Ashley had been so cruel to her about being left out of the loop regarding her resurrection.

It was clear the other woman understood the remark, and if possible her spine stiffened even more. "Sorry ma'am, didn't mean to keep you out of the loop."

 _Oh stop torturing her._ "I'm sure you had your reasons."

"Yeah, I guess I did." With a noticeable effort Ashley managed to pull herself back together. "Still, good to see you."

"Admiral," a voice from ahead called.

"Come on."

As she marched away Shepard heard Vega stepping up next to Ashley and speaking to her. Probably neither of them knew that enhanced hearing had been part of the standard upgrades she received.

"You know the Commander?" Vega was asking.

"I used to."

 _Ouch._

/|\

She didn't recognise any of the brass that assembled before them. She did recognise the looks of fear on their faces though.

"Admiral Anderson. Shepard." She accepted, even enjoyed it, from her ex-comrades and friends. But from these admirals it was only a reminder of what they had taken from her.

"What's the situation?" She asked.

"We were hoping you would tell us."

Someone handed her a datapad and she read it, trying to make sense of the information. She had never even seen half the codes, and the numbers surely couldn't make sense.

"The reports coming in are unlike anything we've seen. Whole colonies have gone dark. We've lost contact with everything beyond the Sol relay."

Her gut tightened. The numbers weren't inaccurate. _Six months._ How could they have kept her out of the situation for so long? How could they possibly have locked her in a room, offered no information and demanded none from her? How could they act so shocked now?

"Whatever this is, it's incomprehensibly powerful."

"You brought me here to confirm what you already know." She handed the datapad back. "The Reapers are here."

The male admiral at the centre of the table leaned forwards and frowned. "Then how do we stop them?"

"Stop them?" She let the incredulity creep into her voice. She had been used to disbelief and ignorance from her superiors, but this was beyond belief. "This isn't about strategy or tactics. This is about survival. The Reapers are more advanced than we are. More powerful, more intelligent. They don't fear us. And they'll never take pity on us."

"But there must be some way."

"If we're gonna have any chance of surviving this we have to stand together."

"That's it, that's your plan?"

She took a deep breath and prepared herself for another argument when one of the aides cut her off.

"Admiral, we've lost contact with Luna base." Her skin prickled and she stared out of the window at the cold grey sky above them.

Anderson was marching over to the aide, muttering as he went. "With Luna? They couldn't be after us already."

"How'd they get past our defences?" One of the admirals asked.

"Sir, UK headquarters has a visual."

She didn't need to see the viewscreens. She already knew what she would see. She had been watching exactly the same footage for nearly three years now, ever since that first broadcast from Eden Prime. The horrifying screech that scratched at the back of your skull, the fear and panic that was greater than anything you ever thought you could feel.

The signal from the viewscreens cut out as she took a faltering step towards the window, still staring up at the clouds. The viewscreens replaced the military footage with standard news footage showing the sheer scope of it. The gigantic forms of the Reapers, terrifying enough when they had encircled the Citadel, seemed simply too large inside of human cities. Things of that magnitude were meant to remain in space.

The panicked shouting started to filter through to her again. "Why haven't we heard from Admiral Hackett?"

No one seemed to understand. The Reapers hadn't bypassed their defences. There was no clever trick to this. They couldn't contact Admiral Hackett because Admiral Hackett, along with his ship and all the fleets of humanity, didn't exist anymore.

"What do we do?"

"The only thing we can." She was barely aware of the words coming from her own mouth, the conviction of them surprised her. "We fight or we die."

Anderson touched her arm and she turned to meet his eyes. "We should get to the Normandy."

The words were barely out of his mouth when the window lit up with bright red and a laser cut through the clouds above them, lancing into the city across the river and producing a massive flare of light.

"Oh my God."

Shepard's head split open as a booming roar split the sky and a Reaper landed directly in front of the window, the red eye of its laser already pointing in towards them.

"Move!" She shouted, turning and running for the door. "Go! Go! Go!"

Before she could take more than three steps the window exploded and a shockwave crashed against her back, someone screamed and she was knocked forwards as something collided with her shoulder. Everything went slow for a moment and she watched as the admirals' table went by her, and then she was slamming into the far wall.

Her ear filters had closed, and the world was dark after the flash of the laser. She coughed and rolled onto her front, shaking her head to try and clear her senses again. She could hear Anderson shouting at her, still muffled but getting clearer. "Shepard! Shepard!" He grabbed her arm and helped her to stand. "Shepard. Come on get up."

Once she was on her feet he shoved a pistol into her hand and she shook the last of the cotton wool from her brain. "Here take this, we've got to get through."

He moved away, activating his comm. unit. "This is Admiral Anderson, report in anyone." She knelt next to one of the bodies while he sent out his call, but it was too late for most of the people in the room. "Lieutenant Williams is that you? What's your status? I can't raise the Normandy, you'll have to contact them, we'll meet you at the landing zone, Anderson out."

He looked over to Shepard, then nodded to the blaster open window. "Come on Shepard, Ashley's heading to the Normandy, they'll pick us up if we can get to the spaceport. Let's move."

The building had been blasted almost in half by the laser blast, several of the support beams jutting out and providing them a makeshift walkway to get away.

Ahead of them another Reaper flew overhead, its laser flash-boiling the water at their feet and sending a plume of super-heated steam up right past them. Shepard shielded her face, keeping her eyes locked on the Reaper as it soared past them, heading deeper into the city. Anderson was getting back to his feet.

"How do you stop something so powerful?"

She didn't have an answer for him.

As they dropped down off the broken supports and onto more sturdy ground a gunship flew over their heads, pursued closely by three drones of a make Shepard had never seen before. The red blast of a Reaper laser shot from the front of the lead drone and the gunship disintegrated where it had been hit, spiralling out of control and slamming into the side of a building ahead of them. What little defences were left were being torn apart by the Reapers.

There was a ladder ahead that they scaled as quickly as they could, continuing their mad run across the rooftops as all around them the Reapers continued to demolish the city. Anderson was back on the comm, his voice a reassuring counterpoint to the destruction.

"Lieutenant Commander. You read me? I'm patching in Shepard."

Her own ear-bud crackled and Ashley's voice came over the radio. "We're almost to the Normandy, I've got Lieutenant Vega with me, but we're taking heavy fire." The transmission was fading in and out, distorted or jammed she couldn't tell.

"We're about five minutes out, we'll- Husks!"

Ahead of them she saw the distinctive creatures, long-limbed and with the staggering, hunched gait she had become so used to. It was instinct at this moment for her to snap the pistol up and double tap each of them in the head before they could even take one more step towards them.

Anderson looked back at her with an eyebrow raised. "I guess you haven't lost your edge."

In answer she knocked the heat sink free and loaded a new one in before taking point again.

There was another ladder at the end of the roof they were on, and she slid down it to the balcony below, where more husks were crawling up the walls towards her. A detached part of her mind took over, putting her on autopilot to knock each one down, even as the rest of her tried to shy away from the horror of the situation. She was so used to killing these things, across a hundred different worlds in a hundred different ways, but she had never imagined she would ever see them crawling the walls of Earth. Even to this minute it had seemed inconceivable the Reapers could ever be allowed to come so far.

She went to open the door but before she could reach it another Reaper blast cut through the water next to them, the explosive force blasting out half the wall and sending her staggering back. Anderson was at her side again, steadying her and allowing her to stand straight and shake off the momentary confusion.

They raced into the burning building, where the far door was sparking and trying to open. She ran across and slid her fingers into the gap, hauling at it with her enhanced muscles. It sprang open, and all at once her world was filled with screaming as a husk barged into her and screamed down at her, the screech torn over ruined vocal cords.

Her pistol was rising as the door slammed closed again, nearly cutting it in half. It continued to bat for her as she scooted back and got to her feet, keeping her pistol trained on it the whole time. Before she could waste the shot Anderson stepped into her view, his omni-tool activated and sporting what looked like a blade on the end. In one sweep he took the husk's head clean off before turning back to her.

"Nice." Her voice croaked and she coughed to clear the smoke from her lungs. "Where can I get one?"

He managed a faint grin beneath the dirt and grime. "Latest upgrade. They've been trying to keep it quiet."

"Right." It felt good, even for a moment, to discuss something so mundane as upgrading software. But the roar of the battle outside was growing louder than ever. She stepped past to help him slide open the door again, letting the body of the husk drop to the floor. As he headed through, hand back to the comm. unit, she half-heard, half-sensed another presence in the room.

Pistol up she scanned, finding an air vent on the side of the wall that had been knocked loose, and from inside a shadow moved. She crouched down and peered round, but instead of the expected glowing blue eyes she met all too human ones, terrified and young. It was, astonishingly, the young boy she had seen earlier. He was curled up into a ball and staring at her, half-mad from panic.

"Hey," she said, putting her gun away and casting a quick glance to Anderson, who was still talking. She looked back to the boy and tried to smile. "It's ok."

"Everyone's dying." His voice was so soft she almost missed it, and the simple fear in the childlike statement made her heart ache.

"Come here," she said, extending her hand. "I need to get you someplace safe, take my hand."

"You can't help me."

"Shepard." Anderson's voice caught her attention and she turned to see him motioning to her. "In here."

"I've got…" She turned back to see the vent empty. She crawled forwards and half into the vent, but it split into three even in the part she could see. He could have gone anywhere. "Never mind." She stood and jogged into the next room, which was as much a mess as the rest of the city. Anderson was struggling to move a beam out of the way on the other side of the room.

"This is a goddamn mess. Every minute these machines are here thousands of innocent people die. I won't be responsible."

She grabbed the beam and hauled once, shifting it clean out of the way and exposing a small path. Anderson was still talking. "It's hard enough fighting a war, but it's worse knowing no matter how hard you try, you can't save them all."

He moved under the beams, ducking low to the floor. She followed in silence, letting him talk.

"So fast…" He sighed. "I thought we had more time."

"We knew they were coming."

"And they still just cut through our defences. We need to go to the Citadel, talk to the Council."

"The fight's here," she pointed out, though even she could hear the lack of conviction in her words.

"It'll be everywhere soon enough. You said it yourself. The Reapers will destroy everything if we don't stop them. The Council has to help us."

She shook her head as they reached the end of the beams. "You sure about that?"

They were out over a harsh drop now, but there was still enough of the floor left that they could edge along.

"No." She hadn't thought he had heard her. "But you're a Council SPECTRE, that has to count for something."

She almost smiled at the naivety in that statement. Being a SPECTRE hadn't exactly worked out ever since she got the title.

At the end of the drop they stepped out into another open area, and across the water she could at last see the spaceport.

Swarming with Reapers.

"Lieutenant Commander Williams we're inbound to the spaceport. ETA three minutes."

The communications were more garbled than ever. "We've made it… -rmandy… ta-heavy fire." Even over the commline Shepard could hear the rhythmic crack of rifles.

They moved forwards again, but suddenly the world tipped sideways and she was rolling down a sheer drop, gathering speed before slamming hard into the ground. She rolled onto her front and forced herself up, checking for Captain Anderson, who had thankfully had a slightly less abrupt descent. He was on his feet and still on the comm. as she looked up and saw a Reaper soaring away. It must have come down within feet of them, yet somehow still missed crushing them. She felt another charge being made against her bank of luck.

 _How many more of those do I get?_

"Normandy, we're going to reroute, do you copy? Normandy come in?"

There was no response from her comm. unit either. Trying to ignore the cold feeling in her gut she looked around from where they had landed and saw a gunship had come down just ahead of them, and it looked like two crewmembers had survived, though one of them had been pinned by something. She drew her pistol and forced herself on again, dropping off the short ledge to their level.

"You two alright?" Anderson said as he joined them.

"Get down," one of them hissed. "They'll see you."

She frowned, leaning out of cover for one moment to see three enemies a short distance away. They looked like nothing she had fought before, though to her horror she thought she recognised what they had once been. Their faces were distorted and their bodies bulging, but she recognised the distinctive arrangement of the eyes.

Batarians, mutated in that special way only the Reapers knew how. She ducked back under cover and knelt next to the beam that was trapping the other soldier.

"What happened here?" She asked, sliding her fingers under the beam.

"Our gunship was shot down, we barely made it." The other crewman got his hands under the beam as well, thinking she would need the assistance. She was more aware of the noise that moving the beam would make, alerting the husks.

"You have a radio?" Anderson asked. "We're trying to contact our ship."

"No, there's one in the gunship, but it's gonna be crawling with those things."

Shepard looked to Anderson, who nodded and steadied his pistol. With a flex of her arm she lifted the beam easily and the trapped soldier was able to shove him out of the way of the beam.

At once the scream washed over them and she looked over to see the batarian-husks looking towards them and raising their weapons. She dropped the beam and snatched her gun from her belt in a single motion, training it on the nearest enemy and loosing a round that caught it clean in the face.

A third of the husk's head disappeared and it snapped back but didn't drop, catching its balance and turning back to scream at her again. Anderson's pistol was cracking next to her and she saw bullets impacting on one of the other husks, having about as much effect. She aimed again and fired three shots, all of which went right between the eyes of her target, blasting the majority of its head off the neck and finally putting it down.

Anderson's target was down as well, and their combined fire quickly downed the final enemy, leaving them a moment's pause to reload.

"Stay here son," Anderson said to the wounded man. "We'll get you out of here."

The wreckage of the gunship blocked them from getting inside from where they were, forcing them once more out into the open, where Shepard could see out across the whole city and only stare at the devastation the Reapers had already caused. She had lost track of time, but it couldn't have been even ten minutes since the first one had broken the atmosphere, and already the city looked defeated to her eyes.

They crossed quickly past the front of the gunship and dropped down to the other side, where they could see the hull had been ripped apart and bodies piled amongst the twisted metal and sparking circuits. The radio beacon continued to flash though, spilled out onto the decking below.

As Anderson rushed to the radio Shepard snatched one of the assault rifles that had fallen out of the gunship's armoury. It cycled open easily and aside from some charring seemed to be functional. The heat sink was still full and there were dozens more scattered about.

"Normandy this is Anderson, do you read?"

Over the radio came Joker's voice, clear and strong and as much the welcome relief as it had ever been. "Admiral, what's your location?"

"By a downed gunship in the harbour, I'm activating its distress beacon. Send support, we've got movement down here."

Shepard snapped her head up to see where Anderson was looking and watched as yet another drone flew over their heads, crash-landing bare metres away. Out of its carcass poured another half dozen of the swollen batarian husks. She levelled the assault rifle and stitched half the clip across them, dropping two and leaving the others staggered.

Anderson was still shouting into the radio. "Lieutenant! Dammit!" She dropped a third husk as he stood and added his pistol fire to the mix to bring down a fourth. "I've lost the signal. Let's hope that beacon does its job." Another drone was circling overhead, fixing its attention on them before plummeting down behind some cover ahead of them.

As Anderson ducked for cover Shepard stood in place, her legs braced and the assault rifle bucking against her shoulder. Round after round whipped past her but she barely registered them, tracking and firing as fast as her augmented muscles would allow. She lost count of the bodies as they piled up before her, yet still they came, crawling over the mound of the dead only to be put down themselves.

Her rifle went dry and she dropped it, switching to the pistol and emptying sink after sink into them. Anderson was shouting something at her but it was lost among the carnage.

Her vision blurred and heat struck her face as an enormous explosion rocked the dock they were standing on. A gout of fire plumed into the air and the stack of bodies was blasted apart, along with any husks still left standing as out of the smoke the sleek lines of the Normandy appeared. Her radio crackled and something finally made its way through the haze.

"The cavalry has arrived."

"About time!" She shouted back at Joker as he brought the ship into a smooth descent that left the cargo bay doors hanging open towards them. Shepard sprinted for them, seeing Vega and Ashley both in the back, rifles in hand. A single jump brought her next to them and she turned to see Anderson stepping out from cover and walking up to her.

"Come on!" She shouted down, holding out her hand.

Anderson looked back to where the injured soldiers were being helped onto another gunship. "I'm not going." She stared in disbelief as he racked a new sink into his pistol. "You saw those men back there. There's a million more like them, and they need a leader."

"We're in this fight together Anderson."

"It's a fight we can't win, not without help. We need every species, and all their ships, to even have a chance at defeating the Reapers. Talk to the Council, convince them to help us."

She couldn't imagine leaving him on the planet. There wasn't a hope for him down there. "What if they won't listen?"

"Then make them listen. That's an order. Now go."

She stayed right where she was, staring him down. "I don't take any orders from you anymore. Remember?"

He grinned at that, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. "Consider yourself reinstated. _Captain._ " He flung the object and she caught it on instinct, recognising the feel of dog-tags in her hand at once.

"You know what you have to do."

She nodded. "I'll be back for you, and I'll bring every fleet I can. Good luck."

"You too Shepard."

He ran back to the shuttle the soldiers were massing at, jumping onboard just before the door closed.

Ashley had clearly signalled Joker, because as Anderson's shuttle left the Normandy was rising too, up and away from the city. Shepard kept her eyes focused on Anderson's shuttle as it swept over the heads of a group of civilians being helped aboard gunships for evacuation. In the throng of people she saw a small boy in a white hoody and felt her heart soar as she recognised him from the vent. He was pulled aboard and the shuttles took off together.

The cargo bay doors were closing as a Reaper crashed down behind the ships and the laser lanced out once more and her last image of Earth was Anderson's gunship spiralling to the ground as the laser piercing straight through the civilian ship, vaporising it before an explosion sent fragments to the waters below.

The Normandy shivered as it hit atmosphere, and they were gone.

 **AN:-** Wow it's been a while hasn't it?

Hello again! Or if you're new here, hello!

I last wrote this story in January 2015, when I finished the Arrival DLC of Mass Effect 2. Since then lots of things have happened, but the star finally aligned and I've returned. hopefully it won't take two years to write this one.

I'm already nearly 50,000 words in already, so there's going to be a lot of updates for now, but I'm going to try and stagger them so I don't run out.

As always (wow, been a while since I typed that) I have some changes and additions in my version of the story.

The title, Vae Victum, is a corruption of a famous Latin phrase. Vae Victis/Victus, which means 'Woe to the Conquered.' Vae Victum translates to 'Woe to the Conquerors.'

Shepard has been promoted to Captain. It always bugged me that there is no official recognition of Shepard's achievements through the games. Also, the promotion of the Virmire survivor can potentially leave them a higher rank than Shepard, which just struck me as being wrong. So in my story, officially Shepard is a Captain. However, lots of people don't know this/acknowledge this/realise this yet, so she will still be referred to as 'Commander' through the book.

I never quite knew what to make of Vega. I've actually only played Mass Effect 3 all the way through once, and just found his character to be sort of there. However, rereading my old notes for ME1 and 2 I thought the same about Wrex and Jack in the beginning, but by the end found them so much more interesting and wrote them much more than I had anticipated. So maybe the same will happen with Vega this time around.

I want it on the record that I was giving Shepard creepy nightmares and problems with insomnia way before ME3 did it. (also, funnily, I'm sure I made some sort of joke about 'there'll be no saving the galaxy without coffee' back in ME2. Mass Effect Andromeda writers, I'm watching you.)

All the rest goes fairly standard. Gunfights, witty banter, you know the drill.

I desperately wanted to write everything up to the end of the Mars mission in one chapter. Once this one started getting close to 6000 words I realised that was just going to be impossible. So it's all broken up. Mass Effect 3 is probably going to be even longer than Out of the Dark, and that hit 250,000 words!

One last thing. This story will not end with the canon ending. Because I hate the canon ending of Mass Effect 3. It's a poorly written slap in the face of everyone who played the games in all their different ways for all those years. I have my own endings, which I'm not 100% decided on yet, but I know for sure it will not be the game's ending. Just so people know right now at the outset. Don't get into this story if you want or like that ending.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:-** Trucking along with this one. I've got it written up to chapter fifteen, so lots more definitely still to come

Chapter Two: Mars

Before she could even draw breath Vega was in her face.

"What the hell's going on? Where's Anderson? Where are we going?" She tried to push past him to get to the computer and he grabbed her arm. "Hey!"

She shook him off easily. "We're leaving."

"Leaving?"

"What's going on?" Ashley asked from her other side.

"Anderson wants us to go to the Citadel, get help for the fight."

"Bullshit!" Vega kept pace as she marched to the computer. "He wouldn't order us to leave."

"We don't have a choice, without help this war's already over." She keyed up the interface and opened her old profile, trusting EDI to have kept it unlocked. She needed command access fast.

"Forget it, drop me off someplace, becau-"

"Enough!" She rounded on him before she was even fully aware of it. "Don't you think I'd rather stay and fight?" He cowed before her and she turned back to the computer. "We're going to the Citadel. You want out you can catch a ride back from there."

A new signal cut off anything else he might have had to say. "Commander!"

"Joker, good to hear your voice."

"Still alive and kicking here. Got an emergency transmission from Admiral Hackett for you."

She had thought the gruff old soldier was dead for sure. A smile tugged at her lips despite the circumstances. "Patch it through."

"Shepard." The image was distorted and fuzzy, the audio even worse. "–stained heavy losses… force was overwhelming." From what little she could make out he had been wounded in the head, and in the background his ship's bridge seemed to be in pieces. "No way we could defeat them conventionally."

"Anderson's already ordered me to the Citadel to talk to the Council."

"First we need you to go to the Alliance outpost on Mars. Before we lose control of the system." The signal was stabilising as they got further from the atmosphere.

"Yes sir."

Static cut out his next words. "…researching the Prothean Archives with Dr T'soni." _Liara?_ That she hadn't known. The thought that Liara could have been so close to all this. "May have found a way to stop the Reapers. Only way to stop them. Contact soon, Hackett out." And his image was gone, replaced by comm. fuzz.

"Joker, set a course for the Mars archives."

"Mars?" Thankfully he was too used to her now to argue. He'd ask later, she was sure of that. "Roger that."

"This is loco…"

"Why Mars?" Williams at least was a little more helpful than Vega. "What does he think we'll find there?"

"I don't know yet, but if it helps us win this war…" It was a short jump to Mars. They'd barely have time to re-equip. "Grab your gear."

/|\

Joker was waiting for her in the cockpit. She was still strapping into her armour, but it had been a comforting sight to see the Normandy nearly fully stocked with people, even if she didn't recognise any of the faces.

"Good to see you're still among the living Commander."

"Same to you Joker. Although it's Captain now, strictly speaking."

"That in an official sense? Because I just finished branding all the Commander Shepard Fan Club merch."

"Well it only took Alliance Command what, four years to finally catch up with this promotion? I think the fan club can lag behind a little."

"Anderson not coming with us?"

"I'm afraid for right now there's no one coming with us Joker."

"And why exactly are we heading to Mars first?"

"Apparently they've been investigating the Prothean ruins there and found something."

"Fair enough. We're only about five minutes out so you might wanna get back down to the shuttle."

"Roger that." She paused a moment before leaving. "I'm glad you made it out Joker."

"Back at you Shepard."

/|\

They approached Mars in full stealth mode, EDI scanning on every frequency. Shepard sat in the seat of the shuttle and waited for the order to disengage, watching the reports coming in. What was more distressing than anything was the lack of response. Nothing being picked up from Luna. Nothing from Alliance Command, nothing from UK High Command at all.

Joker signalled her just as the cargo hold was opened. "I've been trying to reach Mars on secure channels. No one's answering."

"Any sign of Reaper activity?"

"Negative."

"EDI?" She dropped them out into the atmosphere, feeling the tug on the ailerons as they angled away and started their descent.

"The base appears to be online. It's possible the inhabitants were evacuated."

"We'll know soon enough. Be ready Joker, just in case."

"Roger that, Normandy out."

Shepard hung up the call and hit the intercom. "We're almost there. Strap in."

She set them on a hard landing, practically nosediving towards the surface.

The radio buzzed again and Vega's voice came through. "Still no contact from the base but we've got a massive storm headed our way."

"How long til it hits?"

"Half hour tops, after that we're going to have difficulty keeping up comms with the Normandy."

She set them down at the landing zone, practically on top of the main facility. "Understood."

She set the shuttle on the auto-return program and opened the shuttle door, stepping and checking to see Ashley and Vega already moving out to cover. Ahead of them was a field of solar power collectors, with a path to the right of them leading to the facility. She signalled her teammates and they took point heading down the path as Shepard brought up the rear, her sniper rifle a comforting weight in her hands after so long away.

They moved in silence along the bluffs, the facility always in sight as they wound their way between craggy rock formations and down short drop offs until they came to the body of an Alliance Marine propped up against a cargo crate. His faceplate was smeared from the inside with blood and there was a single bullet hole in the back of his head. Shepard couldn't help but remember a long time back, finding a turian in a similar position.

"Sergeant Reese," Ashley said after checking his dog tags. "Doesn't look like he put up a fight." As she rose Shepard wondered if she was noticing those same similarities.

"Something's not right here," Vega said.

Shepard nodded. "Vega take point. Keep a low profile 'til we know what's going on."

"Roger that."

Before they had taken more than a dozen steps there was gunfire from ahead. Four slow and deliberate shots. _That wasn't a gunfight._

Moving even slower now, they crept forward to see a small band of men, all wearing armour emblazoned with the distinctive black and orange diamond of Cerberus. Shepard's gut curled and she knelt, shifting the rifle to her shoulder and sighting down the scope. There was one man wearing a Corporal's emblem, innocuously stamped on the collar of his armour.

"I've got right," Vega's voice over her comm unit.

Ashley was a second behind him. "I've got left."

That would leave one more alive after all three of their shots, Shepard had no doubt Ashley and Vega between them would be able to take him though. She breathed slow and counted out loud. "Three, two, one. Fire."

Their shots blended into one rolling crack as three men jerked to one side, their helmets blasted open by the force of the bullets. A fine red mist replaced the head of the corporal as he toppled to the floor. The fourth man whirled round to find the shooters but Ashley and Vega were already up and moving forwards, their assault rifles cracking again and again as they landed shot after shot on his chest. The man's armour gave way almost at once and he dropped with a dozen holes in his torso.

Shepard reloaded and marched down to join them, staring down at the dead bodies of the Alliance soldiers in disgust.

"What's Cerberus doing here on Mars?" Vega asked.

"Good question."

"You don't know?" The accusation in her tone hurt.

"I'm not with them anymore Ash. If that's what you're asking."

"It wasn't, but you have to admit it's a bit convenient."

Once upon a time she had at least respected Ashley's tendency to always speak her mind. But the acerbic soldier was going to start grating on her nerves if they had to keep this up much longer. Silently she motioned the two of them forwards and they took point once more, heading to the entrance of the facility only a few hundred yards away.

When they got there they found another small complement of Cerberus troops. Shepard remembered the first time they had come across the group, and the dozens of fireteams they had been able to field at every operation. That gave her no small amount of satisfaction. All of their evidence after the Collector Base mission had been that The Illusive Man was running low on credits after spending so much on his precious Lazarus Project.

Shepard switched to her pistol and switched the ammo load to armour piercing. There was another corporal at the head of the soldiers.

"Williams, take the left side, Vega, take right."

They nodded in agreement and Shepard counted down again. On fire they all stood and there was a short round of gunfire, dropping every one of the Cerberus members in under five seconds. They stepped out from behind the cover of the packing crates and made their way to the door. Shepard knelt to get started on the door lock.

"Doesn't look like they came here in force," Vega said as he stood guard over her.

"Kinda suggests they had help. From the inside. You'd need a lot more men and firepower to take this place otherwise." Shepard didn't rise to the obvious bait.

"Commander I thought you told Cerberus to screw off after you wiped out that Collector Base they were after."

"That's exactly what I did," she said. The last firewall was breached and she summoned the elevator down to their position, standing back and taking out her pistol again.

"Well one thing's for sure, they're no friend to the Alliance."

"Agreed."

The main door opened and they stepped onto an expansive elevator more suited to shifting vehicles than people. Shepard triggered it and as they rode up Ashley removed her helmet, looking over to Shepard.

"I need a straight answer Shepard," she said.

Shepard sighed and activated the seal on her own helmet, folding it back. "About what?"

"Do you know anything about this? What is Cerberus doing here."

"What makes you think I know what they're up to?"

"You worked for them, how am I supposed to believe you've cut all ties?"

She had to wonder exactly what information Alliance Intelligence had been fed, or else had been feeding to Ashley. She had known the Illusive Man wanted to keep her isolated, but it had never occurred to her someone on the other side might want her old crew just as separated. "We joined forces to take down the Collectors," she said eventually. "That's it." She was aware of Vega's eyes on her as well.

"They rebuilt you from scratch, gave you a ship, resources."

"Let me be clear. I've had no contact with Cerberus since I destroyed the Collector Base. And I have no idea why they're here now, or what they want."

" _Captain_ Shepard's been under constant surveillance since coming back to Earth, no way they've communicated since."

"Sorry Shepard, I just…"

The elevator slowed to a stop but before they debarked Shepard stepped up close to Ashley.

"I shouldn't have to explain myself to you Ash." They had arrived in a large hanger bay, a couple of makos sitting in repair bays. "Please trust me."

"I do. It's just that…"

There was a banging above them and they all whipped their guns up and towards it. Shepard moved forwards to find cover while Vega and Ashley broke further into the bay. They sighted on the vent, easily tracking the sound of the thumps. Shepard quickly activated her comm. "Hold your fire, it could be a friendly."

A click from each of their comms reassured her that they'd received the message. Whoever it was was almost at the end of the vent, where a simple grill would allow them out into the hanger. Shepard shifted her aim slightly to catch them in case they came leaping out the end.

The grill bashed out and she saw a thin leg disappearing back into the vent. A second later a lithe figure dropped smoothly to the upper level and disappeared behind the railing. There was another enormous clattering from the vent and Shepard shifted her aim back to the entrance. Before she could make the decision where to fire a singularity opened up at the entrance to the vent. She recognised it immediately as a biotic flare, and her heart soared. There couldn't have been that many biotic users on the Mars base.

Two bulky humanoid shapes were dragged to the end of the vent, and she saw for a split second the Cerberus logo again, but then the singularity increased in power and the edges of the vent caved in on them, crushing the two troopers into a tiny metal can. Shards of the metal ripped and tore and imploded inwards, shredded through the armour of the troops. The bloodied, misshapen mass no longer resembled two humans in a vent when it finally dropped to the floor in a sickening crash.

The figure on the second floor stood and Shepard recognised her instantly. Liara turned to look down at them, raising an eyebrow as Vega stepped out of cover and trained his rifle on her.

"Easy there, Lieutenant," Shepard said, stepping out from cover herself and waving. "She's with us."

"Shepard, thank the goddess you're alive."

"You too Liara."

She leaned against the railings and smiled down at them. "I was so worried when the reports came in." Her smile faded. "I am sorry about Earth."

"Yeah." Shepard took a breath and flexed the fingers on her hand. "It was difficult to leave." _Understatement of the century._

Liara nodded, looking to her companions. "Ashley," she said. "I'm sorry, but why did you come here?"

Shepard shook herself out of the brief lull. "Hackett ordered us to come, said you'd know what was going on."

Liara nodded slowly. "I do."

"Hallelujah, some answers, finally."

"Maybe." Shepard almost grinned at the exasperation on Vega's face. "I've discovered plans for a Prothean device, one that could wipe out the Reapers."

Ashley was frowning. "Here, on Mars?"

"In the Prothean Archives, yes."

"We've known about the Archives for decades, why now?"

"Process of elimination, mixed with a little desperation." She returned her attention to Shepard. "When you destroyed the Alpha Relay, you bought us some time, but then you were under investigation, I knew I had to do something. Hackett knew it too. He contacted me, asking if I would use my resources as the Shadow Broker to find a way to stop the Reapers. My search led me here, Hackett got me access to the archives and kept me updated to your affairs. I meant to come see you, but…"

Shepard grinned. "I woulda liked that, but under the circumstances, I think I can forgive you."

"You are too kind." Ashley shifted impatiently and Liara returned to the topic. "In any case my work paid off, the Archives are full of data, an overwhelming amount, I think I found what we need."

Vega huffed. "I guess I'll believe it when I see it. Where do we find this weapon?"

"It's not a weapon, not yet. It's plans for a device, a blueprint."

"More than we had a minute ago, how do we get it?"

Liara pointed to the other side of the room, and through one of the windows they could see a long cylinder leading away from the main facility. "The Archives are just across that tramway, assuming Cerberus hasn't locked it down."

That brought her to the other outstanding topic. "What are they after?"

Vega snorted behind her. "Yeah they seemed hellbent on catching you."

"They want what I'm here for, what we're all here for."

"But why?" Shepard didn't need to ask the question Ashley did. She had a dark feeling she already knew exactly what Cerberus were looking for.

"The Protheans came close to defeating the Reapers, they had plans to destroy them but ran out of time."

Ashley finally got there as well. "And anything powerful enough to destroy the Reapers…"

"Just might be something Cerberus would be interested in."

"So," Shepard felt purpose returning to them. "It's a race to the Archives."

As Liara nodded there was a screeching from the upper level. Shepard's head snapped round to see sparks flying from the blast doors that led out into the rest of the facility.

"We got company," Ashley said, bringing her rifle to bear again.

"Bring it on," Vega growled.

Shepard's mind was racing though. "Not this time James, get back to the shuttle. If Cerberus beats us to the Archives I need you covering the exits."

"But…"

She cut him off. "Now Lieutenant."

He glared at her for a moment longer, then backed away to the elevator control. Ashley was giving her a hard stare, but nodded when Shepard pointed her to cover.

"They're getting closer," Liara said as Shepard drew level with her. "We need to get up there."

Shepard looked across the room to one of the repair bays, the mako suspended halfway up. Liara saw where she was looking and grinned. "Same old Shepard."

Shepard sprinted for the mako, expecting Liara to be at her heels, but instead the biotic was down on one knee, gathering biotic energy around herself.

There wasn't time to worry about what she was doing. Shepard launched herself into the air just as she heard the seal on the door give. She crashed hard against the front of the mako and let out a _whuff_ as the air was driven out of her. She yanked hard at one of the armour plates on the mako and got fully onto the roof of it as boots crashed above and the fireteam entered the bay.

Ashley's rifle lit off as Shepard was turning to jump and grab the ledge above herself, pulling up to arrive at the second level of the hanger bay. Ahead she could see the Cerberus troops ducking for cover, Ashley's assault rifle fire keeping them low. They hadn't spotted Shepard yet, but she was in perfect position for an ambush, taking her pistol off her back and aiming at the first of the soldiers.

Her shots deflected off his shield and she hissed in frustration as they responded, moving back and behind several boxes for even greater cover. Bullets began to spark around her and she rolled to get behind a solid pillar, crouching behind it and breathing deeply, trying to picture the scene and figure out a tactic. She reached down to her belt and pulled out an incendiary grenade, attaching it to the launcher of her omni-tool and leaning out to try and spot the troops.

The grenade sailed over the boxes and detonated, forcing one of the men out of cover as his armour caught fire, the specially designed fuel seeping in through the cracks to burn his skin. Shepard fired twice, the first shot cracking his helmet, the second hitting him in the forehead. The soldier dropped, but Shepard was forced back again as the other two soldiers stood and opened fire on her.

She looked down to see Ashley still keeping up her fire, and Liara behind her, swirling with biotic power. As Shepard watched she jumped, then a second later the biotic energy coiled behind her like a spring and she was launched into the air soaring up high in an elegant forward roll. She emptied her pistol as she fell, forcing the two soldiers back out into the open. Shepard leaned out as well and fired, bringing them down.

"That's a new trick," Shepard said as she stood out from behind the pillar. Below them Ashley was making for the mako to climb up as well.

"I've been working on it ever since I saw the footage of Vasir and Samara."

Shepard reached over the balcony to help Ashley up. "It must take an incredible amount of power."

"Not as much as you might think."

"Looks like everyone's been moving up in the world since I left," Ashley said.

"And I'm sure we'll have plenty more opportunities to show off our new skills." Shepard nodded to the open door. "For now we should keep moving."

 **AN:-** I actually got this far before abandoning the story completely. I was a little further but I was definitely into the Mars mission. I had to replay because all I had was the dialogue, not any of the actual story written.

Not a great deal changed for this chapter. Extended some conversations, trimmed down some gunfights. There is some stuff here that I'll talk about later, mostly regarding Cerberus, but it'll be mentioned in text as well. No need to jump the gun.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Into the Fire

Through the door they found the security room, along with more bodies of Alliance personnel. Several of them had been executed, though others appeared to have been gunned down by the Cerberus forces.

Liara ignored the bodies, though it was clear to Shepard that it took her some effort. She strode into the security room and went to the main desk. "We'll need access to the pedway." She accessed a few screens before it flared red with a lockout. "Dammit, security's been tampered with."

A submachine gun was on a small table as she walked in. Shepard grabbed it and double checked it was still working on her way to the desk.

"Can you get access to the pedway?"

Shepard bent down to access the computer, but whoever had locked it down had done a masterful job of shutting off any possible backdoors and redundancies. "I can't seem to unlock the live feeds, but…" She lay down on her back and reached under the desk to fiddle with the wires directly. Someone had already beaten her to it though, ripping out a handful of them and frying several others. She reconnected several of them and linked the output to her omni-tool.

"Hey." Ashley's voice brought her back out from under the desk. "Did you see that?" They looked to the screens to see a woman walk up to the desk and tap something into the computer before racing away. "Who's that woman in the vid?"

Liara pushed away from the desk, standing and glaring at the screen. "That's Doctor Eva Core, she got here about a week ago. Any luck?"

Shepard tried the console again, but it was still completely shut down. "Pedway's been locked out."

Liara sighed. "All right. Look's like there's construction nearby. We can get out on the roof and find a way around from there."

Shepard pulled her pistol and nodded. "Great, let's move."

They hurried over to the door, stepping inside and fixing their helmets back on as they waited for the airlock to cycle. It opened to admit a rush of wind that threatened to knock them back. Shepard braced herself and fought out onto the roof, where ahead she could see the roiling clouds ahead.

"Storm's getting closer!" Ashely said.

 _Thanks for the observation._

She moved to the left, where a ladder led her down to another section of the roof. As her boots touched down she turned to sweep the area, and across the chasm saw that one of the tramways was moving. The flash of weapons fire caught her attention and she squinted to see through the dust.

"What the hell?" Ashley said behind her.

"Looks like the Alliance is still putting up a fight," Shepard said, watching as a second tram chased after the first.

Liara had joined them. "That tram leads to the archives, once Cerberus gets across, they're at the final security checkpoint."

"Then that's where we're headed."

Their route took them to the left, skirting along the outside of the complex. As they tramped along her comm unit buzzed and she heard Vega's voice. "Captain, you read me?"

"Barely, storm's causing interference."

"Tell me about it. I've lost contact with the Normandy, what's your…" The transmission cut entirely, replaced only with static.

"I didn't read that Vega, repeat?"

"I said…" And he was gone, this time only a hiss of an open commline.

"Dammit." They had reached another ladder at the end of the walkway.

"That storm's going to be in here very soon," Liara said as they began to climb.

"Yeah I think it's already here," Ashley drawled as she followed.

Up the ladder they had to leap across to the next shelter, where at once Shepard saw that the airlock had been left open.

"This airlock shouldn't be open," Liara confirmed the fairly obvious worry.

"Doesn't look like it was forced."

"No. You'd have to override security protocols."

The area beyond was entirely without power or lighting. Shepard activated the torch on the end of her rifle, still not entirely comfortable with letting Cerberus' ocular implants take over in low level lighting.

They came across the first body barely a few steps inside the door. Dressed in alliance colours and clearly dead from decompression.

"Someone vented the air from this room while they were still here."

"Looks like they died trying to claw their way out."

"This is brutal, even by Cerberus' standards."

Shepard wasn't so sure about that observation, but she said nothing, leading them around the edge of the upper walkway. There was a set of stairs leading down, and everywhere the torch beams touched she saw more bodies. They passed by a smaller seating area with some vending machines, then hit the lowest level.

Across from the stairs shutters began to open and she heard commands being barked out. They switched their lights off without even needing instruction and got behind what cover they could find. Beyond the glass they were talking about searching the room, and apparently they weren't able to see. She activated the tactical cloak and slipped out from her cover, creeping to the window and crouching low beneath it. There were two guards right on the other side of it, standing shoulder to shoulder with their guns pointing ahead. Perfect targets.

She crashed through the glass and grabbed one of them as Ashley opened fire on the other. Even as Shepard slammed her man onto the ground and fired a bullet up under his chin Liara smashed the furthest one into the far wall, the crack of his armour audible even over the cries of the others.

After the last of the bodies had dropped they climbed through the broken window and followed Liara to the right, where she was entering a small security booth.

"We need to pressurise the room first," she was mostly talking to herself, triggering the environmental controls and waiting as gas vented back into the room and the pressure stabilised. "There we go, we have access to the labs, they'll take us right to the tram station."

Ashley was inspecting the security console itself. "Hey. Looks like there's a recording of what happened here."

She piped it through to the main screens and they watched as the familiar security images came up, this one of a man in guard uniform sitting at the desk. Shepard glanced to her right to where the same man's body was now slumped on the ground, most of the upper portion of his head missing. There was another guard in the video, at the back of the room. Right where another headless body now lay.

"Security station, come in. We're seeing some odd activity down here." He frowned and leaned in. "Our security protocols just kicked in, everything's locked down." The same woman from the earlier recording stepped into the back of the frame and the guard turned. "Doctor, I'll get you a report as…"

She moved in a blur. One moment she was standing by the door, in the next a pistol had appeared in her hands and both men were dead. The precision of the shots, especially at that speed, was impressive. Shepard raised an eyebrow as the woman moved to the console and activated it, the feeds changing to show the atmosphere being sucked out.

Shepard shut down the recording. They'd seen more than enough. "Guess we know how Cerberus got in."

"I should've realised it when I met her." Liara pushed away from the desk and walked to the door. "I was just so focused on finding a way to stop the Reapers."

"Stopping the Reapers is what you should have been focused on. It's not your fault."

Liara turned to her, her arms folded tight across her chest. "But what if we're wrong? What if there is no way to stop them? What if these are our last days and we spend them scurrying around trying to solve a problem we can't fix?"

Shepard reached out to touch her shoulder. "Liara…"

"I know, I shouldn't think that way." A faint smile appeared on her face. "I don't know how you do it. You've always stayed focused, even in the worst situations."

"That's easy." Shepard moved her hand up to stroke Liara's jaw. "I just think about what I'd lose if I failed." She dropped her hand, very aware of Ashley standing next to them, looking uncomfortable. "We'll stop them Liara, together."

"I believe you. Or I believe that you believe. Maybe that's enough." She marched back to the console and hit a few commands. "Ok. Doors open. We can get to the labs and tram station through there."

"Let's move."

It was beginning to feel just like old times again, as she sent Liara and Ashley ahead to scout the way. There was a stairwell leading up, and through the door they came across another small detachment of Cerberus troops. She loaded another incendiary grenade and fired it into the middle of them, blasting them to bits before they could even respond. She was about to move forwards when another two troops came into view, bearing heavy blast shields before them. Liara and Ashley lit them up, but the rounds deflected uselessly away. Shepard took her rifle off her back and sighted on them, finding the small slits that enabled the troops to see.

Her first shot knocked the first trooper off his feet, most of his head disappearing into a dark crimson cloud as the shield clattered to the floor. His friend looked down to see what had happened and she let loose with her second shot. The shield stayed upright and she wondered for a second if she had missed, but then the man's body slumped into view and the shield toppled forwards.

Down the next hallway were another half dozen Cerberus troopers, fleeing desperately down the hallway and sparing only a cursory few shots to try and keep them back. They stayed at range, picking off the ones they could take safely. The last man disappeared through a door at the end of the hallway and even as they ran up to catch him the door was being burned shut from the other side.

"Damn," Shepard hissed. "We'll have to take the long way round."

A foul stench was reaching her even as she said it, and she looked to the side to see a laboratory of some kind, the decontamination beams sweeping back and forth. With a sickening swoop of her stomach she realised what the smell was. Burning human flesh. Cerberus must have activated the protocols with the staff _inside._

They shut down the protocol and the door pinged open, the smell increasingly horrifically as they did so. They hurried through the lab, trying to avoid the charred remains as best they could.

"This is where they studied the various relics unearthed here," Liara said, probably trying to keep her mind off what was around them.

Thankfully Shepard needed the distraction too. "What did they find?"

"More than I could describe in a short conversation And they'd only scratched the surface. There are vaults filed with Prothean data troves that have never been studied."

 _And we're going to lose all of them. All that knowledge, gone._

They came through the labs and Liara pointed ahead through the window. "That's the tram line, takes us right to the archives. No doubt Cerberus has it locked down. Hopefully we can override it at the security station." She led them down the hall to the left. "It's just through here."

As they moved along a dead soldier caught Shepard's eye. She still had his shotgun clenched tightly in his grip. She pried it loose and handed it over to Ashley, who took it with a nod. There was no sense in wasting functioning weapons.

Liara opened the door ahead of them and at once a hail of gunfire rained through, peppering her shields. Shepard tackled her out of the way and they took cover behind the wall. The turret kept up its fire.

"Is that the only way in?" Ashley shouted over the noise.

"It's the only way I know of," Liara called back.

"We'll have to skirt around it, stay out of its sights."

Ashley nodded. "I'll move up first."

Thankfully the turret seemed to have fixated on Shepard and Liara, while Ashley was on the other side of the door. When she moved the turret paused as it tried to acquire the new target, but she was already in cover before it started firing again.

"Simple enough," Liara said.

"On my signal. On, two…"

They broke together on three, sprinting for the next bit of cover. Thankfully the walls had multiple partitions, and they were fairly well protected. Ashley moved again, and they mirrored her a moment later, criss-crossing down the hallway until they had reached the cargo bay the turret was in.

"We'll have to use the crates for cover," Ashley shouted, making her move for one.

"Split up," Shepard said to Liara. "The more of us there are the more confused it gets."

It was a perilous run. The turret was getting faster at targeting them now they were closer, and the crates offered much less protection than the walls. Shepard's kinetic shield flickered and flared, even though her body was entirely behind cover. If they stayed still for too long it would bring their shields down just from indirect attacks.

At last they came round the side of it, and it couldn't twist any further, firing impotently next to them.

"It can't get us here," Ashley said, letting out a long breath.

The door behind her opened and another unit stepped through. Shepard grabbed her pistol and shoved Ashley down with her other hand, firing over her back and taking out the leader of the Cerberus squad with a single headshot. Liara took the other one at the knee, then the faceplate, and Ashley shot the final one through the chest.

"Watch your six," Shepard said mildly as they hurried into the next room.

There was one last Cerberus commando waiting for them, a hulking brute pressed up behind a box. As he jumped up to fire on them they opened up in unison and half a dozen bullets caught him in the chest, pushing him back and dropping him.

There was another security console spanning almost an entire wall, and Liara went straight for it, bringing up another security feed which showed Dr Eva marching in the midst of Cerberus troops.

"Set up a perimeter, no one else comes across."

"We still have teams on the other side," the soldier protested.

"No one!" She snapped, drawing her pistol. "And shut down those cameras!" She took aim and the security feed blinked off.

"Looks like they've made it to the Archives," Liara said.

"And it looks like they won't be sending a tram anytime soon."

"Can you override it?" Shepard asked.

Liara shook her head, moving to sit in front of the console. "The Archives are on a separate network, we're completely locked out."

"Not completely," Ashley said. "What if we could find a short-range transmitter, helmet to helmet?"

Shepard didn't see where she was heading. "And?"

"And then we convince them that we're with them, and that the Alliance forces have been taken care of."

"See what you can find." Ashley headed off to search the bodies. Shepard turned back to Liara, who was giving her a look. "What?"

"The Lieutenant Commander has become very capable."

"Agreed." She was about to ask Liara about her reservations when Ashley's voice came from over by the dead commando.

"Commander, I found something."

"What have you got?" Shepard marched over to join her.

"He's got a transmitter in his helmet, if I can…" The helmet cracked open and Ashley recoiled. "Ugh!"

Inside the helmet the man no longer looked fully human. His eyes burned the electric blue-white of a husk, and there were tracks for cybernetics running along the outside of his skin, which was grey and mottled.

"Oh God, he looks like a husk."

"Not quite." The process wasn't complete. His skin wasn't fully grey, or the dried out consistency she was used to. "But they've definitely done something to him."

"Engineered by Cerberus." Ashley shook her head. "They claim to stand for humanity, and they do this to their own people." She hung her head, then stood up all of a sudden, facing away. "That could've been you Shepard. For all I knew that's what Cerberus had done to you."

They had finally got to the heart of it, what had been pressing on Ashley since Horizon. "How can you compare me to that thing?" She couldn't let her know about her own fears that ran the same way. The full extent of what Cerberus and Miranda might have done to her. She wasn't ready to face up to that yet.

"I don't know what you are, not since they got their hands on you." She finally turned back round, and in her face Shepard could see all the conflicting emotions, the need to trust her, but the wariness too. "Is it really you? Would you even know if they were controlling you somehow?"

"That's not fair Ash."

"I don't need you to answer. I doubt there's anything you could say to convince me." She sighed and knelt down by the body again. "I guess I just need some time to get to know you again."

"I'm the same person I always was, time won't change that. But if that's what you need, I understand."

"Thanks… for understanding."

She wrenched the transponder free and held it out for Shepard to take.

"Now let's see if we can get that tram sent over here." She clicked the comm open and held it up. "Hello." She winced at herself for that. "This is Delta Team. Anybody there?"

There was a moment's pause, then a heavily distorted voice came back over the line. "Where the hell have you been? Never mind, what's your status?"

She could only hope that her end of the conversation was being similarly distorted. They hadn't seen a single female operative since they came in. "We're at the tram station, waiting for extraction. All hostiles terminated."

"Roger that. Echo Team will ride over and secure the station."

The line cut and she dropped the transmitter. "Think they bought it?" Ashley asked.

"If they didn't we'll find out soon enough."

They moved away from the security console and into the tram station proper, where the light was blinking to indicate an incoming tram. "Positions, either side of the door," she told Ashley and Liara, I'll provide support from above."

They hurried off to carry out her orders and she took position with the submachine gun and her sniper rifle next to her. She wished they had any way to estimate Cerberus' numbers. The door opened and another four man squad stepped through, quickly put down by the combined fire from her team.

She vaulted down to join them and they got on the tram, activating it and affixing their helmets again to protect against the atmosphere.

As the doors opened ahead and the tram rattled out the wind immediately started to howl at the windows. The cloud was almost on top of the base now.

"We'd better wrap this up quickly," Shepard said.

"The Archives are right on the other side," Liara reassured her.

Almost on cue the doors at the other end of the line opened and a tram came out bearing even more soldiers.

 **AN:-** Not a great deal to say about this one either.

Some minor changes, mostly to take out a lot of the Cerberus troops, which I did for two reasons.

1: Because as with all the books, too many gunfights gets boring.

2: Because I don't like just how many resources Cerberus has in ME3. It's established that it cost billions, maybe even trillions, to resurrect Shepard, along with the Normandy, outfitting all of the troops and soldiers and science experiments and on and on and on. Unless Cerberus has more money and resources than pretty much every single one of the good guys governments combined then it makes no sense. I get that in Mass Effect money and resources aren't exactly a concrete thing, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. So in my story Cerberus is working at a greatly reduced level of effectiveness.

That's all for now, see you at the next one.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:-** This is basically the end of the Prologue. Four Chapters in.

Chapter Four: Man Down

Before Shepard could shout her next order an explosion ripped open part of the carriage and they ground to a stop. Bullets peppered the windows and they started to crack almost at once. "Cover!" She barked and they dropped down, drawing their weapons and crawling to the edges of the tram. She pressed up against it and readied her sniper rifle, waiting until the window shattered before stepping up and sighting in one fluid motion.

The rifle bucked against her shoulder and one of the Cerberus troops dropped with a hole clean through him. Corresponding fire from her flank told her that Ashley and Liara had found targets as well, and sure enough two more troops dropped as their shields failed to hold up against the onslaught. The final man drew a grenade but before he could throw it she drew her pistol and shot him through the wrist. The blast took out part of the wall of their tram car even as it drew level with Shepard's team.

"Over we go."

They jumped into the other car and Liara set it in motion again. Collecting the ammunition from the bodies they reloaded and checked their shields and armour in the brief respite before the far door opened to reveal an empty station.

"I guess Cerberus just doesn't have the numbers these days," Shepard said as they stepped out through the hole and made their way to the back of the room.

Liara opened the door at the back of the room and they stepped through into the Archive proper, where straight ahead the Prothean relic glowed faintly in a green forcefield. There was an access terminal just in front of it that was thankfully still functional.

"Ash," she said.

She didn't need to say anything more. Williams moved off immediately to secure the room, sweeping her rifle back and forth into every nook and cranny. Liara went to the terminal and Shepard moved up behind her, drawing her pistol and holding it ready.

"Shepard." The voice sent chills down her spine. She turned to see his familiar blue hologram stepping out of nothing behind her. Liara whirled around, snatching up her own pistol.

"Illusive Man," she said.

"Fascinating race the Protheans. They left all this for us to discover, but we squandered it. The Alliance has known about the Archives for more than thirty years, and what have they done with it?"

"What do you want?" Shepard growled as Liara went back to the computer.

"What I've always wanted. The data in these Artefacts holds the key to solving the Reaper threat." He gestured with his cigarette.

"I've seen your solution. Your people are turned into monsters."

"Hardly, they're being improved."

"Improved?"

"That's what separates us Shepard. Where you see a means to destroy, I see a way to control. To dominate and harness the Reaper's power. Imagine how strong humanity would be if we controlled them."

She shook her head. "You've gone too far. The Reapers will kill us all if we don't stop fighting each other."

"I don't expect you to understand Shepard. And I'm certainly not looking for your approval. You were a tool. An agent with a singular purpose, and despite our differences you were relatively successful. But like the rest of the relics in this place, your time is over."

"Enough talk." She turned away from him. "Liara."

"Don't interfere with my plans Shepard. I won't warn you again."

She didn't bother looking back. "Duly noted."

"Shepard! The data, it's not here." Liara's fingers flashed frantically over the keys.

She turned back and was unsurprised to see his hologram had disappeared. Liara was still talking.

"It's being erased."

"Damnit. How's he doing it?"

"It's local, someone's uploading the information."

Shepard's head snapped up and she found Ashley, across the hall from them and just rounding a corner.

"Hey, step away from the console. Now!"

Shepard moved, but apparently not fast enough. Ashley went flying away as someone threw her and the relic suddenly depowered. Shepard rounded the corner to see Dr Eva Core, sprinting away at top speed.

"She's got the data!" Liara shouted, and Shepard took off after her running. They fled through the open door, but instead of heading to the tramway she cut hard left, faster than Shepard would have thought possible. Shepard cut across to try and catch her, but all she saw was a foot disappearing up a ladder.

"What is she?" Liara was hot on her heels.

There was no time for talking though. Shepard threw herself up the ladder and came out onto the roof again. Overhead a shuttlecraft swooped in low and ahead, too far ahead, she saw Dr Core. There was a landing pad nearby, she would be heading for it for sure.

The intention, when she had been rebuilt, had been that she could trigger her implants at will, she hadn't had much time to practice, but she had started to learn how to do it now. She forced herself to speed up, then push past the barrier where her mind told her that it wasn't possible to go that quickly. Her legs responded, the mechanical impulse triggers firing and activating the artificial muscle fibres in her legs.

The distance closed and she was able to fire off a shot from her pistol that sparked off a kinetic shield. She heard Ashley over the comm unit. "James, you read me? Cerberus has the data. Get the Normandy down here now!"

The Cerberus shuttle came in low again, they were barely feet from the landing pad. Dr Core spun on her heel and fired half a dozen shots, all of which hit Shepard's shields. Her accuracy was unerring, and Shepard was forced into cover.

The shuttle was right on the edge of the pad now, and Dr Core kept up her fire, keeping Shepard pinned.

"She's getting away!" Liara had joined her, but was also kept behind cover as the Cerberus troops on the shuttle opened fire as well. "Damn it!" Shepard opened her comm unit. "Vega! Normandy! Anybody?"

The shuttle door closed and it pulled away. The three of them rushed onto the platform and opened fire, but their small arms couldn't do anything to slow the shuttle down as it angled for escape. It started to rise when out of the dust cloud the Normandy's shuttle emerged, static electricity sparking off it as it headed down for the pad.

"Get ready for a chase," Shepard said, turning to her team.

"I don't think that's going to be an issue." Ashley was pointing up to where the Normandy's shuttle was on a direct collision course.

"What's Vega…"

Shepard was cut off as the shuttle's smashed together. Fire gouted out of the side of the Ceberus shuttle and it was forced off course as Vega drove it down towards the pad.

"Move!" Shepard yelled, turning and sprinting for cover again as the shuttles spiralled in. She launched herself over a low railing as they came crashing down, scraping along the pad with a harsh metallic grinding that set her teeth on edge. More explosions rocked the platform as the two shuttles came to a screeching halt.

She jumped up and back onto the pad, avoiding the fire that was quickly spreading out from the Cerberus shuttle, which was almost entirely destroyed. The front of the Normandy shuttle was badly damaged, but it still seemed to be functional, and at least wasn't actively on fire.

The door opened and Vega came tumbling out. "Normandy's en route. They'll be here soon."

Shepard looked over to where Liara and Ashley were limping towards them, supporting each other as they walked. The Normandy shuttle had landed between them, and the ire was getting dangerously close. Just as she was breathing a sigh of relief the smoke from the shuttle coiled and shifted.

Shepard saw it happen in slow motion as her implants kicked in, her danger sense going into overdrive as Dr Core emerged from the fire, springing out in a single bound and slamming into Liara and Ashley. Liara was sent skidding along the ground as Ashley went for her gun. Shepard moved, feeling as though she was dragging herself through mud. Her senses were on overdrive but her body wasn't responding right.

"Ash!" Vega's voice reached her through the muck even as she heard the cracks of blows.

Rounding the shuttle she had her pistol out and in hand, training it on the glistening chromed body that had been Dr Core. Clearly she was some sort of android then. No sense going hand to hand. She had a hand around Ashley's throat and had lifted her clear off the ground, leaving her feet kicking wildly.

"Let her go."

Dr Core spun to put Ashley between Shepard and herself, touching her free hand to her head. "Orders?" She said.

Whatever was said on the other end, she moved like lightning, spinning around and slamming Ashley hard against the side of the downed shuttle.

"No!" Shepard yelled, opening fire. Bullets sparked and pinged off the metallic body as Core drew Ashley back and slammed her down again, the metal of the hull denting slightly where Ashley's head had hit it.

As the android prepared to slam her again one of Shepard's bullets broke through the skin of her jaw and she jerked forwards. Sparks began to pour out of the bullet hole and Core turned to look at Shepard. She only had a few bullets left in the clip and she fired both, putting a double tap right between Core's eyes. The first bullet didn't penetrate but the second one did, and like a puppet with the strings cut the body dropped to the ground.

"Grab that thing," Shepard shouted to Liara and Vega even as she ran to Ashley, who was lying desperately still against the shuttle. "Bring it with us."

The storm overhead shifted again and the Normandy appeared out of the sky, swinging down towards them. Joker's voice broke through the fuzz of static and interference. "Shepard, we got Reaper signatures in orbit."

Her instruction in field medicine screamed at her not to do what she was about to do, but they were out of options. In the far distance away from the base she could see the black shape of a Reaper descending already. Either she risked further injury or they weren't leaving with Ashley in tow. Bending down she lifted her as gently as she could manage, trying to support her head and keep it as still as possible. Vega had the robot in his arms while Liara ran for the cargo bay of the Normandy.

Before the airlock had even closed Joker had them pulling away.

/|\

She ran for the medical bay, past rows of faces she didn't recognise and improvements and modifications she hadn't been informed of. Liara and Vega were right behind her as she sprinted to a bed and gently laid Ashley across it. The medics pushed past her and began to open up her armour, revealing her face, so bruised and swollen she barely looked human.

Shepard slowly backed away from the table. She didn't recognise a single one of the medical staff. Not Chakwas or any of her old staff. She shouldn't have been surprised, after all Chakwas had technically signed with Cerberus, but it filled her with a deep unease to see Ashley under anyone else's care.

Liara stepped up next to her and took her arm gently. "Ashley needs medical attention. We have to leave the Sol system."

 _I know._

"The Citadel is our best chance, we can find help there."

She still couldn't respond. Liara triggered her own comm unit. "Get us to the Citadel Joker."

"Roger that."

 _Hold on Ash._ Vega had put the android down on the bed across from Ashley. She finally found her voice. "See what you and EDI can learn from that thing."

As if summoned, her earpiece chimed again. "Captain. I'm receiving a signal over the secondary QEC, I believe it's from Admiral Hackett."

 _A minute. That's all I need. Sixty seconds._ "Patch me through."

"I'll forward it to the comm room."

Shepard marched out of the bay, Liara right next to her. It didn't even occur to her until after she had left the medical bay that she wasn't entirely sure of the new layout, but apparently Liara was in the know, and guided her gently through an elaborate war room to a hologram relay of Admiral Hackett. "Shepard are you reading me? Captain Shepard."

The connection was still patchy. "EDI, can you clear this up?"

"I'll do my best."

The hologram sharpened a little and the static diminished. "Did you get to the Archive?"

"I was there, so was the Illusive Man."

Hackett nodded. "I was worried Cerberus might try something. Did you get the data?"

"Most of it. He downloaded some before I could stop him. EDI and Liara are analysing what was recovered."

Liara stepped up next to her and Hackett nodded to her. "What have you learned? Was it worth the effort?"

"Preliminary evidence suggests the data is a blueprint for a Prothean device." Liara keyed something into the console and a new hologram appeared, a rotating blueprint for an enormous construction of some sort.

"Device?" Hackett asked.

"A weapon, massive in size and scope, that's capable of unquantifiable levels of destruction."

"Send me the data. We'll do our own analysis. If Liara's instincts are right this might be the key to stopping the Reapers."

"I hope so." Shepard took a breath to steady herself. "Lieutenant Commander Williams was critically wounded. We're taking her to the Citadel."

"Sorry to hear that Shepard. But we both know this is just the beginning. Talk to the Council, show them what you've found. With luck, they'll give you all the support we need."

"And if they don't?"

"Do whatever it takes to get them on board"

 _No problem._ She straightened and saluted. He returned it and nodded to her. "I'll be in touch soon, Hackett out."

Shepard headed back out to the War Room, pausing in the doorway and staring at it. Her ship had been taken from her again, and changed again. She wasn't ready. For all her admonishing the Defence Committee for the same thing, she wasn't nearly ready for this.

"Shepard?" Liara was at her side, looking at her with concern clear in her eyes. "EDI is extracting data from the Cerberus machine. We'll have details to present to the Council by the time we reach the Citadel."

She cleared her throat. "And Lieutenant Commander Williams?"

"The Medical Team has done what they can for her. She needs proper medical attention soon." Liara leaned against the circular table at the centre of the room and stared at the holographic surface. "The Admiral's right. It's going to get worse isn't it?"

"Unless we stop the Reapers, yeah."

"I've looked at the data. This weapon could be the answer, if we can build it. I get the sense you don't quite believe it though."

Shepard came to stand next to her, their hands almost touching. "You didn't see what they did to Earth. How is one weapon supposed to stop them?"

"What are our options? You know we can't win this conventionally. Shepard. Isn't it worth trying at least?"

She didn't have an answer for that. In her heart she couldn't quite believe in any hope, even a faint one. "I'm gonna check on Ashley and James. Make sure we're ready to present our findings to the Council."

"I'm sure the Council will see the need to help."

Shepard pushed away from the table and headed back for the CiC. "It'll be a hell of a short war if they don't."

 **AN:-** Not a great deal to add. The real game begins in earnest from now.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:-** Here's where the fun begins.

Chapter Five: Red Tape

The Citadel Medical Staff met them at the door to the airlock, transferring Ashley from her ship's care to theirs in an instant. They ran through the docking bay, checking readouts as Shepard jogged behind, trying not to look down at Ashley's ruined face.

"Barely got a pulse here!"

"Move 'em out."

"Where are you taking her?" Shepard called after them.

"Huerta Memorial, best care in the Citadel." They disappeared behind the security screening and Shepard slowed to a stop. Vega and Liara were with her, and slowed as well.

"We're not going with?" Vega asked.

Liara understood at least, shaking her head. "We need to see the Council."

"Right. Looks like they might be coming to see you."

She smiled as she recognised the man walking towards them from the security station.

"Commander Shepard. Got word you were arriving."

She had helped Captain Bailey out a few times in her time with Cerberus. It was good to see him still alive and well. "Captain Bailey." She held out her hand and they shook. "Good to see you again."

"You too. Though it's Commander now."

Something in his tone told her he felt about as good as her about his promotion. "Congratulations?"

"Thanks. Now half my job is dealing with political bullshit and escorting dignitaries around. No offence."

That dragged a smile out of her. She had never considered herself a dignitary, although political bullshit seemed to be all she ever found. "None taken. So you're here to bring us to the Council?"

"I'm here to tell you the Council is expecting you but they are dealing with their own… problems. With this war and everything. They apologise for the inconvenience and blah, blah, blah." She grinned again as he brought up his omni-tool. "Meet them here, at Udina's office. They'll be ready soon enough."

"All right."

"You might have time to go by the Medical Centre if you want to check on progress over there."

She didn't ask how he knew about Ashley, doubtless he had been on station when their emergency broadcast came through. "Thanks. I might do that."

"You go on ahead," Liara said. "I'll head up to Udina's office."

"One of my men can show you the way," Bailey said, turning to Vega. "You?"

"I'm just a tourist today. I'll try not to get into any trouble."

Bailey nodded, putting a hand to his head as a message came through on his headset. After a moment he made a sound halfway between a sigh and growl. "I'll be right there." He frowned back at Shepard. "The other half of my job. I'll see you around Shepard."

He didn't wait for her goodbye, disappearing behind the security screen. "No doubt."

The rush suddenly stopped and she was left standing in the middle of the concourse with no idea what exactly she was meant to be doing next. The adrenaline of the last few days left her all at once and she swayed a little.

Some of her crew were leaving the Normandy as well, and she spotted that one of them had been snatched away by a reporter. She sighed and headed off to deal with that before it went too far, and wasn't that surprised when the woman turned around before she had even reached her.

"What's going on here?" She asked.

"Commander! Just who I was looking for. Diana Allers. Alliance News Network. I think we can help each other."

Shepard leaned back and folded her arms. "I suppose you want an interview."

"Even better. I'm a military reporter with a show called Battlespace. We're carried on just about all Council planets." Shepard was surprised to hear that. She had never heard of Battlespace before. "My producers want me embedded on a human ship, and I want that ship to be the Normandy."

"Why would I want that?" Surely her history with reporters was well known at this point. Sure she had never _actually_ hit anyone but…

"Wars can be won or lost in the editing room, and this war needs to be won. I've got Alliance Security Clearance and operate without a crew. You get veto power over the segments I file. Can you handle an arrangement like that, or do I keep looking?"

Shepard considered it, giving Allers a quick look up and down. She was in a dress that redefined 'form-fitting,' and had an easy confidence to her that was alluring. Shepard could see how she had managed to become a star reporter. "Tell your producers yes for now. We'll see how it works out. Report to the ship as soon as possible. Any questions?"

"How much gear can I bring?"

Already regretting her decision, she held up a finger. "One footlocker."

"Aye aye Commander."

Allers walked away and Shepard was left to make her way to the security checkpoint, where she stepped through the barrier and immediately felt the faint electric tickle as the scanners washed over her. On the other side of the booth she could see a bored looking turian security officer. "What, no super invasive and annoying security scan this time?" She said to him. "And here I was looking forward to a good old fashioned cavity search."

He looked up and frowned at her. "One could be arranged."

She gave him a wink. "Promises, promises…"

The scan ended and she was free to step through and head to the elevator, where she selected the Huerta Memorial Facility from the list of options. With the faintest of whirring noises the elevator sped away.

/|\

Some people said that they had always hated hospitals, but Shepard could chart very distinctly when her fear of them had first started. It was when she was sixteen years old, and had just watched most of her family and friends die in the attack on Mindoir. Waking up in the Alliance medical facility, the harsh and clinical smells of bleach that didn't ever fully conceal the blood. Whenever she smelled that antiseptic scent it brought her right back there again.

She wasn't prepared to go straight to Ashley's room, not entirely sure if she wanted her former squadmate to be awake or not. She wandered around the foyer, spotting a shopping kiosk and heading for it. It had a selection, including flowers, which would at least have been traditional, but then her eye was caught by the literature section, and scrolling through she spotted a collection of Alfred Tennyson works. Expensive, but worth it. She bought them at once and arranged to have them shipped to the Normandy. It would be easy enough to have them transferred to Ashley's room if… _when_ she was better.

Just as she was finishing at the store a familiar voice came from behind her.

"Shepard, there you are."

She turned with a smile already spreading across her face. "Dr Chakwas, you're here."

"I'm working at an Alliance R&D lab down in Shalta Ward, coordinating closely with Admiral Hackett. I heard you escaped Earth in the Normandy, and that someone was critically injured, I came as fast as I could."

"We had a run in with a Cerberus synthetic on Mars, Ashley took the worst of it. How's she doing?"

"Very well, all things considered. I'm impressed with Lieutenant Commander Williams resilience, as well as Dr Michels'expertise." Shepard started a little at the familiar name. "I wish I could have been there to help on Mars."

Shepard waved that off. She wished many things like that. "It's been six months Doctor, how have you been?"

"Good. I've been fortunate. They might have impounded _Normandy,_ but when I came back the Alliance didn't really know what to do with me. I was never officially part of Cerberus, and I'd gotten a proper leave of absence from my previous post."

Shepard had never known that. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought to ask. "So you hadn't technically done anything wrong by joining me to defeat the Collectors." Especially what with Alliance brass strongly hinting that her mission to destroy the Collectors had been under their orders.

"Yes. Though I suppose if you were judged to be a war criminal, I would have been tried as an accessory."

 _Cheery thought._ "Your place is in Normandy's med bay, not some lab."

"I couldn't agree more, you say the word and I'm with you."

Her heart warmed, just a little, at the thought of getting some familiar faces back. "The Normandy wouldn't be the same without you Doc. Get your things, Docking Bay D24."

"Yes Commander, and thank you."

"Don't thank me so soon, remember, Joker's still aboard."

"And I'd be surprised if he's been remembering his medication." That with the long suffering sigh of many a military doctor.

Shepard watched her head out, then finally turned and headed for the ward where Ashley was being looked after.

Stepping through the door she froze when she saw Ashley in the bed. She looked tiny, out of her armour and stripped down to a hospital gown. All manner of tubes and monitors were connected up to her, and half a dozen machines were around the bed, beeping and humming as they monitored her vital signs.

She was a mess. Her exposed arms were a mess of bruises, her legs too. But the worst was still her face. Her left eye was swollen entirely shut, and her cheek, nose and jaw had clearly been broken in the attack. There was a long gash across her forehead and onto her temple that had barely scabbed over. Her right eye was surrounded by a mess of purple and yellow bruising.

Shepard forced herself to step into the room properly and walk to the bed, resting her hand gently next to Ashley's on the bed, afraid to even touch her, for fear that she might cause more damage to her already broken body.

"You got pretty banged up there Williams. Had me worried." She looked away, focusing on the machine right in front of her. As far as she could tell it was monitoring Ashley's breathing. If nothing else, she was breathing on her own. "I just wanted to check in on you, see how you're doing." She sighed and forced herself to look back. "Despite all this, it's good seeing you again Ash." She lifted her hand, the urge to pat her reassuringly almost overpowering. She settled for bumping the bed a few times. "Get some rest ok. I'll come by when you're feeling better. We'll talk." A doctor had walked in, to check the machines, and she didn't want to say anything more in front of him. "You need anything doc, let me know." She cast one last glance down to the still figure in the bed. "Ok Ash. You take care. See you soon."

/|\

The short ride to the Embassies gave her time to get her game face back on the stolid blank mask that the world knew as Commander Shepard, Spectre and hero. She hated the face, couldn't stand watching it on news broadcasts, but at least she was secure in the knowledge that it was only her in the loosest of terms.

She made her way directly for Udina's office, but on the way she heard raised voices coming from a nearby room, and noting that the sign read 'Captain Bailey' she diverted again.

Inside Bailey was arguing with a familiar woman.

"There is no anti-humanity conspiracy here Ms Al Jilani, the Council is simply not granting interviews at this time."

Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, late of Westerlund news, stood in front of Bailey's desk, clearly in high dudgeon about something. "My viewers are going to know that C-Sec and the Council are denying them access."

"Listen lady, you think I like playing gatekeeper between the paparazzi and the politicians? I don't have time to babysit them and I'm not here to hold your hand."

"Well I'm camping out until I'm granted an audience."

"Fine. I hope you brought a sleeping bag."

Khalisah huffed and turned on her heel, marching for the door. She came up short when she saw Shepard. "Commander Shepard." Her eyes lit up. "Commander, humanity has questions."

"That's funny, I have questions as well." Shepard managed to avoid smirking as al-Jilani's eyebrows rose. "How's Shiase?"

And she had a perfect view of the utter shock on Khalisah's face as the door abruptly closed on her, giving her no small amount of pleasure.

"Damn press," Bailey echoed her unspoken sentiments.

"See you're keeping the peace," she drawled.

"Yeah. I feel like a glorified doorman."

She walked over to sit in front of his desk. "Most people would see it as a move up," she pointed out.

"Wedged in here with all the stuffed shirts? I'd rather be back down on the streets. I appreciate the higher pay grade but I'm not a political creature."

She was actually glad to hear it. She had had too much experience of politicians and political creatures. "If you didn't wanna be upped, why'd you accept?"

"You don't say no to Councillor Udina, well maybe you would," Shepard's mouth quirked up. "But I gotta live here. I know, I know, squeaky wheel gets the oil but I didn't lobby for a promotion like some other officers. I'm not even sure why he picked me. Never know with politicians. I hate political BS." That last part he said almost sotto voice.

"Don't lose your edge," Shepard advised. "You might need it."

He chuckled. "Wouldn't mind an excuse to get my fingers dirty." His expression sobered. "It's killing me about Earth."

"You and me both."

"I haven't been back in years, now I may never. If this ain't the end of days, it's pretty damn close."

There wasn't really much more she could say to that, so she settled on a slow nod and stood, heading back for the door. He didn't watch her leave, and when the door had closed again she headed right for Udina's office.

Inside she was greeted by a smiling asari, who quickly hustled her back out the way she had come. "Commander, Councillor Udina said you'd be coming. If you'll follow me, the Councillor's already in session."

And with that she was hurried all the way back to the elevators.

/|\

The Council Chambers had been rebuilt exactly as they were before, for which Shepard was not appreciative. It reminded her too much of everything that had happened the last time she had been there. She hadn't even considered that she hadn't been back since the fight against Sovereign, but as soon as she stepped off the elevator she froze for a moment in place, the memories assaulting her.

Fire, bodies, the wretched stink of death and destruction. She shook her head vigorously and followed after Udina's assistant, who hadn't noticed her moment's pause. They marched past the ornate gardens she remembered well, and then they were out onto the main Council meeting area. Liara was already there, obviously giving evidence, but of course the councillors were doing most of the talking.

"We've got our own problems Councillor," the Turian said to Udina. "Earth is not in this alone."

"But Earth was the first Council world hit. By our reports it faces the brunt of the attack." Udina was holding his own at least.

"By your reports." The Salarian sounded sceptical, of course.

She decided to intervene early, for once. "The reports are accurate, Earth was attacked, by the Reapers. And it's just the beginning. We need your help, everything you can spare."

"Each of us faces a similar situation." She had always thought of the asari councillor as being the reasonable one. "But even now the Reapers are pressing on our borders. If we lend you our strength to help Earth, our own worlds will fall."

"We must fight this enemy together," Udina snapped.

"And so we should just follow you to Earth?"

The turian councillor turned to her. "Even if we were to unite our fleets, do you really believe we could defeat the Reapers?"

"I don't expect you to follow me without a plan." She turned and nodded to Liara.

"Councillors… we have that plan." Liara brought up the file they had found. "A blueprint, created by the Protheans during their war with the Reapers."

"A blueprint for what?"

"We're still piecing it together. But it appears to be a weapon of some sort."

The salarian finally looked interested. "Capable of destroying the Reapers?"

"So it would seem."

"The scale is… it would be a colossal undertaking."

"No." She was thankfully she had done her research before talking to them. "I forwarded the plans to Admiral Hackett. The remnants of the human fleet are already gathering resources to begin construction."

"Our initial calculations suggest it is very feasible to build," Liara added.

" _If_ we work together."

The asari was frowning. "Have you considered that the Reapers destroyed the Protheans. What good did this weapon do?"

Liara shifted uncomfortably, but held her ground. "It was incomplete." She highlighted a section of the plans. "Here, something referred to only as the Catalyst. But they ran out of time before they could finish building it."

"Do you really believe this can stop the Reapers?"

"Liara believes it can work and so do I. And while I haven't always agreed with Udina, he's right about this…" She took a breath and chose her words carefully. "We need to stand together, now more than ever. The Reapers won't stop at Earth, they'll destroy every organic being in the galaxy if we don't find a way to stop them."

For a moment she thought she had them, but then the asari councillor sighed and shook her head. "The cruel and unfortunate truth is that while the Reapers focus on Earth, we can prepare and regroup."

She couldn't believe she was hearing it. The callousness of it actually shocked her. After everything she had done, after how far they had all come, and now the asari councillor was willing to toss Earth aside in order to save her own species. And surely the turian and salarian councillor had to know that she would do the same to them. But then again, maybe they would do the same to the asari if it came to it.

"We are convening a summit amongst our species," the Salarian said. "If we can manage to secure our own borders, we may once again consider aiding you."

"I'm sorry Commander," the asari said. "That is the best we can do."

The Councillors turned to leave as one, leaving only Udina standing at his podium, looking suddenly defeated. "Shepard, meet me in my office," he said, and left as well.

Liara stepped up behind her and touched her shoulder lightly. "I hope that's an offer of support. I'll be digging up what I can on this Prothean device, Shepard."

Shepard nodded her thanks. "I shouldn't leave Udina too long."

"Of course. We'll meet up later."

 **AN:-** Diana Allers is an interesting character to me. I'm intending to use her, and make use of her in a ense that connects to the rest of the war. Like her broadcasts might help Shepard or come back to haunt her in some ways. Couldn't resist a little dig at the fact that Battlespace has literally never been mentioned before ME3, despite apparently being this big famous thing.

It's one of my least favourite lazy writing things to have a character always have been scared of hospitals. I don't think I've ever seen a hospital mentioned in fiction without someone immediately tacking on 'The Hero had always been scared of hospitals.' Maybe the hero isn't afraid of hospitals. Maybe their fear started later in life and they weren't always afraid. Just a personal pet peeve.

I caught myself in a few small plot holes due to having written most of my ME1 and ME2 fics before ME3 came out. Stuff like I assumed Chakwas would be considered a member of the Cerberus crew and tried as such, but then ME3 is like 'Oh no, she was actually totally fine all along.'

The capitalisation of Spectre continues to annoy me. It's either an acronym or Initialism, yet it's treated as a proper noun in itself. I kind of flip back and forth between spectre, Spectre and SPECTRE throughout the series. No consistency ftw!

If you look at the Shadow Broker's files in LotSB then you can see video images of Khalisah al-Jilani. Mostly she's getting beaten up by various races, except for an asari, who she's making out with. Obviously given her very pro-human stance this is probably just supposed to be a funny aside or an example of her hypocrisy, but I choose to believe that she's actually really trying hard to be in a relationship. So I gave the asari a name, Shiase. It is quite mean of Shepard to t'out' her like that, but Khalisah has always been a bit of a thorn in her side.

See you at the next one.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:-** By this point in the first game I had already recruited Liara. By this point int he second game I was well on the way to Omega and Garrus. Funny just how different the pacing of the three games is.

Chapter Six: New Normandy

Udina was pacing his office as she walked through the door. He glanced over and when he saw who it was he started ranting immediately. "They're a bunch of self-concerned jackasses Shepard! We may have a spot on the Council, but humanity will always be considered second rate."

For the first time she was actually agreeing with him. "How can they be so blind?"

Udina snorted. "They're scared. And they're looking out for themselves."

"Our people are scared." It was the turian councillor, as casual as if they were discussing the décor of the office. "And we're looking out for them the best we know how."

"Councillor." She nodded her head respectfully.

"Commander. I can't give you what you need, but I can tell you how to get it."

"It's Captain actually." For the first time that information seemed relevant. She folded her arms and waited, but he didn't elaborate. "I'm listening."

"Primarch Fedorian called the War Summit, but… we lost contact with him when the Reapers hit Palaven." She managed to restrain a jolt of surprise. She hadn't even been told that the Reapers had landed anywhere else. "Those meetings won't proceed without him. The Normandy is one of the few ships that can extract Primarch Fedorian undetected."

"So far you've only explained how I can help you."

"It might seem that way. But the leaders of this summit will be the ones deciding our future. The fate of our fleets, where they fight." He paused to make sure his meaning was fully understood. "And with whom. A grateful Primarch would be a tremendous ally in your bid for us to work together."

"We're at war, and you want me to play politician?"

He actually had the gall to shrug. "If it gets you what you need, what does it matter?" He called up his omni-tool. "Our latest intelligence says that the Primarch was moved to a base on Palaven's largest moon." Her own omni-tool pinged that she had received the data packet. "I've done all I can to help, the rest is up to you."

He moved to leave the room, pausing at the door and turning back. "There is one other thing. The Council wanted me to tell you. We've chosen to uphold your SPECTRE status. And various resources will be made available to you. Good day." And with that he was gone.

Shepard snorted. "Well that went well."

"It's a start." Udina went over to his desk and sat down, calling up something on his screen. "I'll talk to the others in the meantime, see if we can support this summit. Move things along."

She nodded. "Thanks." The word felt a little strange to her, directing it to Udina in particular. But it might just have been appropriate. Turns out they really were on the same side after all, though maybe coming at it from different angles.

She left the office and at once spotted the logo of the SPECTRE offices. At the very least she hadn't burned that bridge. They could offer a lot of help. She activated the keypad and waited for it to verify her status before she headed through into the office, finding the expected requisitions terminals, the shooting range and the intelligence files. Nothing unexpected, even if she had never had a real chance to access any of this information since she had been commissioned.

There was only one pertinent piece of information, but it terrified her to read it. A Quarian on Pilgrim had just bought up a huge quantity of high end weapons and technology. The Quarians were recalling their Pilgrims and preparing for war.

There wasn't much more she could do than mark the message as received and understood. Maybe she would have a chance to contact Tali and ask her if she had any idea what was going on. But Palaven had to come first.

She eyed the target range wistfully, then headed out of the office and back towards the central embassy. As far as she could tell it stood right where the old embassy had been, but if so then it had been completely remodelled, and for that she was thankful. Enough bad memories were contained in the Council Chamber, she didn't need them elsewhere on the Citadel.

She shouldn't have been surprised to see Khalisah right in front of the elevators. She had probably been waiting specifically for Shepard.

"Commander Shepard. Commander the people of the Alliance have questions."

She stepped over and held up her hand to stifle any immediate questioning. "Firstly, it's Captain now, the promotion officially went through before I left Earth. Secondly, I am on a tight deadline, you might have noticed the war happening."

"I'll be brief," she said, activating her cameras. "Isn't it true that you were on Earth when the Reapers attacked? How do you justify running away while millions of people on Earth die? Is that the best we can expect from the Alliance?"

"I came to get help for Earth, for everyone."

"What about all the people suffering while you play politics with the Council? What about them?" Shepard cocked her head, hearing the real emotion hidden behind the bluster and the rhetoric. "How can you stand here while our families die? What are you going to do?" And there it was. The very real fear.

Shepard reach out and gently rested her hand on Khalisah's shoulder. "Khalisah, we're doing everything we can."

The woman crumpled under her touch. Her voice broke with her first word. "Before they cut the feeds, there were so many dead."

She needed stability now. Shepard kept her voice as calm as she could. "I'm going to stop the Reapers or die trying, but I need your help. Keep asking the hard questions." She locked eyes with Khalisah and tried to will her more strength. "Don't let the Council forget about Earth."

"I will." She straightened, and a little life came back into her voice. "Thank you Commander."

"We haven't always seen eye to eye." That was putting it mildly, and she got a little smile out of al-Jilani. "But I'm glad you're on our side."

There wasn't much more to say. She shut down her camera and walked away, leaving Shepard to scan the embassies, picking out another familiar face from the crowds. Vega stood by the window, looking down at the pools of water and the people milling around them.

"Hey Captain," he said as she stepped up beside him. "Liara told me the Council's not interested in helping us."

"Something like that."

"Why would they. Look at this place." He waved out the window. "There's no war here. People are whispering about it. They're talking about it. But they don't really believe it."

She smirked. "I take it this is your first time here, with the elite of the galaxy."

"I've been to the Citadel, but never up here on the Presidium." He shrugged. "It's not right. It looks pretty. Calm and peaceful, but it's not right. It's all just an illusion."

She remembered vividly her first time on the Presidium. "It was peaceful, once."

"But was it? Really?" She had to admit that he was probably right there. "I mean when push comes to shove they're just gonna turtle up, hope it don't hit them too right? They'd rather believe in this." He waved again. encapsulating all of the people currently talking about politics or shopping or any number of things that were about to become completely irrelevant. "Than face the truth."

"I can hardly believe it myself." She glanced out of the window, wishing that she could return to that first trip, even for a moment. "Like everything back on Earth was some kind of nightmare."

"Yeah that's what I hate most. It's like this place wants you to forget that."

She looked back to him. "So. You still wanna go back to Earth?"

"Hell yeah. But…"

"But?"

"You were right, so was Anderson, we can't stop them alone." He grinned. "Besides, looks like you're gonna have your hands full convincing these _pendejo_ politicians to help us. And I'm up for it. Whatever it takes."

"Glad to hear it."

He flexed his shoulders and cracked his neck. "I'm gonna head down to some of the lower levels where they keep it real. You got some spare time, you should come find me."

She nodded. "Maybe I'll do that."

Before she headed back for the Normandy she checked in with Huerta Memorial to hear that Ashley was still unconscious, but her vitals were strong. Dr Michel was optimistic, which wasn't nothing. She signed off and decided to head straight back to the Normandy. Liara had pinged her to say she was heading there to continue her research, and it would be good to have some time to catch up.

Despite Vega's observations, there was a definite undercurrent of tension on the Citadel that she hadn't felt before. A turian soldier on the docks was clearly saying goodbye to a friend or partner, and she overheard a volus saying something about the Alliance military. Everywhere people were making preparations, or shipping out, even if the majority of the populace remained unaware. All the way back through the dock she felt the tinge of unease down her spine. They were at war now.

/|\

Back on the Normandy she was more than a little irritated to find that her quarters had been stripped again. All of her ship models, all of her pictures and personal effects. She hadn't exactly expected them to leave them out for her, but they could at least have kept them in ship's storage instead of back on Earth. She sighed and brought up her private messages. Flicking through them quickly.

First and foremost were two messages noted as Urgent. The first was the general alert from Admiral Hackett to all Alliance forces. The broadcast that Earth was under attack. She scanned it, but didn't bother to take any of the data in. Whatever it said wouldn't be nearly enough to convey the enormity of the situation, and any orders it contained wouldn't apply to her anyway.

The next message was a personal one, direct from Hackett to herself. A Cerberus lab had been discovered on Sanctum, could the Normandy please survey the situation? She made a note of the location and transmitted it to Joker to save into the data banks for when their mission to Palaven was completed.

Under that the less urgent messages needed attending to. She had been officially reinstated now, and at the new rank of Captain. Nothing she didn't already know, but it was nice to have it in writing. She also had diplomatic authority to negotiate and make deals with other species and official command of the Normandy again.

An Alliance News Network bulletin followed that message, confirming that the Quarian Migrant Fleet was apparently missing in action. Coupled with what she had read earlier in the SPECTRE office none of the news boded well. A message had come through on an encrypted line telling her that she had research upgrades waiting for her, but the location of the research was unmarked. She flagged it as possible spam.

The final message intrigued her. Something had been pinged to her about a discovery at Eden Prime. Nothing was certain, but it was believed to be related to the Protheans. She could only hope it might be another beacon. Any additional data they could find about the new weapon would help. She forwarded it to Liara. Before closing down the terminal she decided to route the Tennyson directly to Ashley for when she woke up. They might have been out and away when she woke up, and Shepard wanted her to know that she was being thought of, even if they couldn't be there in person when she awoke.

Her door chimed and she leaned back in her chair. "Come."

The door cycled open and Liara walked through. Shepard jumped up out of her chair and walked over to her, feeling the smile spreading across her face. "Liara, can I help you?"

"I've been forwarding the turian councillor information on the Prothean device. It can't be built without Council support, but he's not budging until their Primarch is safe."

She nodded. "I figured as much."

Liara frowned at her. "Shepard, Maia, are you alright?"

 _Curse her ability to know what I'm thinking._ Honesty was always the best policy. "Earth."

Liara led her back into the cabin proper and sat her at the desk. "Talk to me."

Shepard sighed and leaned back in her chair, trying to ease some of the tension she felt crawling across her shoulders. "When the Reapers hit, I could hear people screaming in the streets below me. We left a lot of them behind."

"There's no way for you to save them all." Liara smiled. "But I know you're doing everything you can, and you'll get back there in time to help."

"I hope you're right."

"Don't blame yourself Maia." She was reaching out her hand when the sound of boots brought them out of their moment and they looked over to see a woman standing just outside the elevator.

"Commander Shepard." She snapped to smart attention. "I'm Specialist…" She registered that there was someone else there, and that she had possibly intruded on something private. "Oh. I… uh, I beg your pardon, I thought you were alone."

Liara's hand dropped and she pushed away from the desk. "Not to worry, I was just leaving."

They waited until the elevator doors had closed. When the woman looked back to Shepard it was with much more uncertainty.

"Commander Shepard? I'm Comm Specialist Samantha Traynor, with Alliance R&D. I was part of the team retrofitting the Normandy, after you turned it over to the Alliance. There weren't many of us aboard when the Reapers hit…"

She was beginning to babble. Shepard held up a hand and her mouth closed. "Slow down Specialist Traynor, you're doing fine."

"Thank you. I worked in a lab, I never thought I'd be serving on a ship." That much Shepard could have told from her manner. She was as green as a rookie holding their first rifle.

 _Be nice to the newbies._ "Why don't you tell me about the retrofits?"

She had picked the right subject. Traynor perked up immediately and walked into the small office. "The ship's in line with Alliance regs now and it has new, top-of-the-line quantum entanglement communicators." She paused and looked around the room, which of course included Shepard's quarters. She had never fully understood that particular design quirk. "In fact, Admiral Anderson had intended to use the Normandy as his mobile command centre."

"That's no longer an option."

"Yes. I heard he chose to stay and fight…" It was getting hard not to feel inadequate. Though of course she knew exactly how they felt at not having the venerable warrior on board. "In any event I'm honoured to serve under you, Commander." _Nice save Traynor._ "For as long as you need me, that is." Her confidence ebbed and flowed on a whim it seemed. "They only sent me here to oversee the retrofits."

Before Shepard could think of something generically positive to say EDI chimed in from the nearby speaker. "Shepard. Some of our systems require further testing, and Specialist Traynor has been extremely effective during installation." Shepard's eyebrow quirked up. That was quite the recommendation from EDI. "I would prefer that she remain."

"Got it EDI."

Traynor was frowning. "Wait, since when does a Virtual Intelligence make requests?"

 _Ah._ Alliance brass didn't know everything it seemed. "EDI's an AI." She said, enjoying watching Traynor's face go slack, her eyes widening. "Fully self-aware."

"Oh, I knew it! I knew Joker was lying!"

"Jeff requested that I pretend to be a simple VI to protect myself. I apologise for the deception." EDI was being unusually friendly.

"Thanks EDI… and I apologise for all those times I talked about how… attractive your voice was." _Oh my._ Well that explained the familiarity. "Anyway, shall I give you a tour? I think you'll be impressed by the new upgrades."

It was going to be one of _those_ days. Pasting the patented Shepard Smile ™ on her face Shepard gestured to her console. "Feel free."

Traynor wasn't as bad as she had feared. She ran through the primary systems first, then onto the newly outfitted sections, such as the War Room and the new Research facilities. All very straightforward, and she would have some time to familiarise herself with the intricacies as well. As Traynor was finishing up she added, "Oh, and I believe Admiral Hackett would like to speak to you on the vid comm."

"Thank you Specialist." As she saluted Shepard couldn't resist one final dig. "And it's Captain, by the way. I got promoted back on Earth."

Specialist Traynor looked a special sort of mortified at having addressed her the wrong way all through the conversation. She saluted and beat a hasty retreat, leaving Shepard smiling bemusedly at the door. "She seems… peppy," she said to thin air.

"I have found Specialist Traynor to be an invaluable asset in bringing the Normandy to full operational capacity."

"You seem quite taken with her EDI."

"She has a grasp of virtual systems that is… impressive."

"Well don't let her grasp too tightly. Be gentle with her."

"I…" There was a pause. And not just a programmed pause. EDI had stuttered over a response! Shepard grinned triumphantly. "Our relationship is strictly professional."

"I'm sure." She pushed back from the desk. "I'm heading to the communications room. Carry on EDI."

 **AN:-** I like Traynor. I also approve of her. Not quite sure what I'm going to do with her in this fic, but I do approve of her.

So far I'm adding very little of my own original content to this story, but it will be in there, I promise.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:-** I'm sure when I came up with it this title had some sort of witty meaning.

Chapter Seven: In a Bottle

The downside of quantum communicators was being able to see every scratch and bruise on Admiral Hackett's face. He looked exhausted, but at least he was still alive.

"Captain. Udina updated me on your meeting with the Council. Sounds like they're running scared."

She nodded. "We did present them with a lot of unknowns. They're feeling threatened and want immediate solutions, not theories."

"Theories are all we've got right now. What's your plan?""

She straightened up, getting into 'briefing' mode. "I'm trying to get the turian Primarch for a summit meeting with the asari and the salarians. I'll bypass the Council and appeal directly to their leadership."

Hackett smiled. "That's good, I like it. This is where we start laying the groundwork for our counterattack."

"Unfortunately we don't have a whole lot to back it up right now."

"Then build alliances. Gather everything and everybody you can for the cause."

She nodded. "What about the Prothean device?"

"Find me people who can help build it. And if you can't, I'll take ships, soldiers, supplies, whatever you can get." He gestured to someone offscreen, then looked back to her. "We need to keep hitting the Reapers across every theatre of war they open, buy us time to figure out the device."

"And when it's finished?"

"Assuming it ever is, we pool all our resources. Think of it as a giant armada for delivering the device when the Reapers are most vulnerable. The stronger you can make that armada, the better the chances of punching through."

She forced herself to ask the hardest question on her mind. "What about Earth sir?"

"We'll just have to hope Anderson, and what's left of the Alliance forces, can hold out until we've dealt with the enemy."

"I understand."

"Good. Then make it happen Captain. I'll be expecting regular updates on your progress. Hackett out."

His hologram faded even as she saluted him. She dropped her hand and rubbed her face, breathing out slowly. They were on their own.

She headed back out through the war room, ignoring the display table as best she could. There was now a security station to get through before she could get back out into the main ship. Yet another reminder of how things had changed. _Seems like every time I leave they make some sort of huge adjustment that I have to deal with._

Specialist Traynor was standing at the galaxy map, at what had been Chamber's station before. Shepard was already considering the comm specialist for the position of yeoman, or at least something in that vein. Certainly if she was about to head out on a galaxy spanning mission to make all of the disparate races of the Council talk to each other then she was going to need someone who was expert in facilitating those communications. And a recommendation from EDI was not to be sniffed at.

She didn't stop to chat, heading straight up for the cockpit, where she was finally able to see Joker properly for the first time since setting foot back onboard. He spun the chair round as she came up the gangway, his mouth already cocked up in that grin she had come to know so well.

"Hey Captain. You know, I had my doubts about the Council. But after years of ignoring your warnings, they're finally willing to step up and tell you they just can't help."

In the face of Joker's cynicism, she always felt compelled to take the optimist's position. "They're doing everything they can."

"Did they at least validate our parking?"

She managed to keep a straight face as she shook her head.

"Well let me know if you want to get them on the channel and then hang up on them. You know, for old time's sake."

He spun back round and she stepped up to join him. "ETA to Palaven?"

"Not long. Straight shot from the Citadel. We should be there in a couple days, then maybe an extra few hours for in-system transit."

"Every second you can get us Joker."

"Aye aye Captain."

She patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave, then stopped herself. "Joker…"

Her pause went on too long and he glanced back. "Shepard?"

"I'm glad you made it out."

"Yeah me too. The galaxy just wouldn't be the same without my wit and talent."

"And your humility, don't forget that."

"It's a shame about Anderson."

She sighed. "You know him. Wouldn't want to be left out of the fight."

"By the time we get the Council forces rallied he'll have already driven back the Reaper invasion and saved Earth."

"My thoughts exactly."

/|\

Liara had taken over the space that had once been Miranda's office. Much as Shepard had eventually found a common ground and even friendship with the ex-Cerberus Operative, she definitely preferred the new tenant. As the door cycled open she was shocked to see how many computer banks and power cables had been run into the room. She hadn't imagined that Liara would be bringing the entire Shadow Broker base of operations with her.

The lady herself was in the small bedroom nook, talking intently to someone. Shepard interested herself in looking around the other end of the room, where the bulk of the terminals were. As she was inspecting a complicated looking piece of machinery a hard light drone appeared next to her, resolving into a spheroid shape. It wasn't a perfect sphere, instead different segments spun around a central axis, at front of which there was a glowing circle which served as an eye. She recognised the drone from the few times she had visited Liara at the Hagalaz base.

"Commander Shepard. It's a pleasure to see you again."

It hadn't spoken to her before though. It caught her slightly off guard. "You're the drone from the Shadow Broker's ship." She said after it floated expectantly in front of her for a while.

"Dr T'soni now refers to me as 'Glyph, instead of info-drone, 95% of the time." It floated slightly away to one of the terminals. "If you have a moment, I'd like to draw your attention to a terminal in her office."

 _Everyone wants to teach me things today._ She repressed a sigh and stepped over. "Instruct away."

As Glyph finished up explaining to her about upgrading her equipment Liara got up from the bed and headed over to her, still talking into her tablet. Shepard overheard Joker's voice.

"Meeting with the Council didn't go too well huh?"

"It was less than ideal."

"Yeah I'm shocked."

"At least the Council can't deny the Reapers exist, but I'm not sure how much comfort that is while they bicker over which portion of the galaxy to save."

Shepard cocked up her eyebrow at that statement, but Joker spoke before she could. "Wow. Becoming the big info brokers turned you into a real cynic Liara. I like it."

"I'm flattered… I think."

She closed down the computer and smiled to Shepard.

"His approval always fills me with shame as well," Shepard said. As Liara grinned she waved at the computers. "Looks like you brought more than just that drone from your ship."

"A few things were necessary." It was completely impossible to tell if she was being sarcastic or not. "I'd be a very silent Shadow Broker without datafeeds."

"So you have access to all your resources?"

"What I can get. We'll need it to research this Prothean device. Until we understand precisely what it does, it's far too dangerous to use."

"Did the Protheans actually complete the weapon?"

That prompted another grin. "You mean 'will it work?'" She went to her main computer and turned it on, bringing up the image of the weapon again. "They wouldn't have poured their last resources into this device if they thought otherwise. But we really need to find out just what kind of weapon they left us."

"It'd be nice to know we're not kids playing around with a loaded gun."

"Absolutely. The damage it could cause if it backfired is unthinkable. This will be difficult, even for us." She took a deep breath and pushed away from the terminal, turning to Shepard. "If something happens on a mission, if either one of us are hurt…" She rubbed her arm and looked away. "I'll always remember that tour of the Normandy." _I absolutely will as well._ "But let's be honest, Shepard, it's been more than half a year. Should we continue where we left off?"

Shepard stepped in close on instinct, reaching out to touch her shoulder. "I'd like that more than anything Liara."

"Good." Liara's smile was back, cute as ever. "I was getting worried."

Shepard wrapped her up in a hug. "There were a lot of reasons I was happy to see you on Mars," she said softly in Liara's ear.

Apparently her tone had been correctly interpreted. Liara pulled back and gave her a coy smile. "I'd like that list. But…" She rested her hands on Shepard's chest and bowed her head. "Later. There's so much left to do. I'm working with EDI, hoping we can discover what the Protheans left for us." Shepard let her go and she stepped back to the terminal, looking over and smiling." But I'm looking forward to talking about something other than business. Maybe later?"

Now there was a tempting thought. "Absolutely."

She let her gaze linger on Liara a moment longer, appreciating her new uniform. The coat in particular looked very nice, though part of her wanted very much to see Liara without it.

 _Down girl._

Shepard headed back out towards the elevator, seeing again the memorial wall that had been set up across from it. She had wanted to see Liara before facing it properly, to try and put herself in a positive frame of mind.

It was in the traditional style of an Alliance memorial wall, which meant that only military personnel were included in the list. She recognised every name, of course. Every crewmember who had died when the first Normandy had been destroyed. Her eyes lit on one name in particular. Rickard L. Jenkins.

She could still picture it. Still heard the crack of the automatic fire and the cry as his armour failed. It had been Kaidan at her side that day. His name was on the wall as well. Another day that she would never forget. Those seemed to be piling up more and more lately.

The one comfort she had as she looked at the list was that none of the names from the ex-Cerberus crew were there. And of the original Normandy crew the list could have been longer. _Some comfort._

Tearing herself away from the board she stepped back into the elevator, keeping her eyes fixed on the control panel as the door cycled closed.

She wanted very much to go back up to her quarters and collapse asleep. But this might be the only real time she would have to walk the ship before the war hit them again. She needed the crew to see her, and she needed to see them.

She headed down for the engineering level first. Diana Allers had set herself up in the starboard cargo hold, and it would probably be worth her while to connect with the journalist. If there was one change to the ship she was very happy about it was that this area had once been Zaeed's quarters. And the less memories of that betrayal lingering around the better.

Allers turned as she entered and gave her a clearly practiced smile. "How's your new assignment working out Allers?" She asked.

"Fairly normal, except for the unshackled AI, Matriarch Benezia's daughter, and the communicator that can reach Earth. The first two I can deal with, the last one gets my attention."

Her humour was easy. But it had the veneer of a journalist to it. Shepard had met too many of those. She folded her arms and cast a glance over the wall of information Allers had set up. "So what are you asking for exactly?"

"Anything from Earth is the lead story right now. That's not opinion, it's fact."

Shepard thought of Khalisah and saw an opportunity. "Maybe I can pass on a few nonclassified progress updates."

"Seriously? You just doubled my ratings. I don't need facetime, just a data upload."

"Tell people what's really happening on Earth. We need long recruiting lines on every planet after you air a story. You can liaise with a journalist called Khalisah al-Jilani for the Citadel broadcasts."

Allers nodded. "I can do this Commander. Remind me to tell you about the time I made an elcor cry."

Still not entirely sure what she thought of Allers Shepard settled for a nod before leaving.

She headed next for the engine core, still not entirely sure who exactly was running her engines. As the door cycled open she was surprised to see the man standing at the console. He looked up as she came in and his face broke out into a wide smile.

"Adams! You son of a bitch!"

"Commander." He stepped over to her and saluted, then shook her hand. "Or is it Captain I hear now? Welcome back to the Normandy, or maybe you should be saying that to me."

"What are you doing here?"

"I was put in charge of the drive core retrofits. My experience on the Normandy SR-1 made me an obvious choice."

Shepard grinned, following Adams as he headed for the core itself. "So what do you think of our SR-2?"

"She's incredible. If there's one nice thing I can say about Cerberus, it's that they know how to build a ship." As he looked up at the drive core his smile faded away. "And about that – Cerberus I mean – I owe you an apology."

"How so?"

"Back when you got this ship, Dr Chakwas contacted me. Asked me to help with your mission against the Collectors." Shepard cocked her head over. Chakwas had never mentioned this. "I refused. I didn't have your back, and I'm sorry for that."

"You're Alliance first," she said. "That's the way it should be."

"Thank you Captain, glad to be aboard."

They shook again and she left the engine bay feeling slightly more comfortable. What with Adams in Engineering and Chakwas in the Medical Bay she was finally starting to feel at home again.

 _Time to confront the differences again._

She headed down to the cargo bay, stepping out to see their two shuttles hanging down at either side. The armoury had been moved back down to the bay, another familiar feeling that put her mind at ease. She could still remember Williams in the corner of the SR-1, laying out the guns for them.

As soon as she stepped off the elevator a man marched over to her and saluted smartly. "Lieutenant Steve Cortex, shuttle pilot. I've got news about our supply chains Captain."

At least someone had heard about the promotion in advance. Shepard returned the salute, not quite able to keep the grin off her face. "Nice to meet you Lieutenant, what's going on?"

He dropped the salute and marched back over to his station, clearly expecting her to follow. She stepped over, a little bemused. "Sorry to just jump in Captain, there's so much to be done. I get caught up in the tasks at hand."

From his little corner Vega shouted over. "He's always like that. You need to chill out Esteban."

Clearly there was something going on between them. From their tone she didn't think it was anything more than banter. "So you do care Mr Vega," Cortez shot back. "Or is that the cervesa talking again?"

Shepard covered a smile and looked back to Cortez. "So what's happening with our supply chains Lieutenant?"

"Alliance procurement chains are in chaos, but the Citadels economy is still running. I can network to Citadel retailers. I can bring you up an inventory and order anything you need."

She nodded, remembering a similar arrangement with Postle on the SR1. "If I can get any new licences or networks opened I'll let you know."

"It does cost more to coordinate delivery to the Normandy, so it's cheaper to buy supplies when you're there."

He really was all business. "Understood." He nodded and stepped back to his terminal, but she was curious. "So, you're my shuttle pilot, but you're setting up procurement chains?"

"I wasn't assigned as Normandy's pilot, not much need for one on a dry-docked ship. I was overseeing the retrofit of the cargo hold. I'm quite familiar with the operation and maintenance of the UT-47 Kodiak and the M-44 Hammerhead. With my experience, it made sense for me to take over as shuttle pilot when we left Earth." He raised his voice a little. "Especially given Mr Vega's love of midair collisions."

"To save the day pendejo!"

"I'm also responsible for logistics, making sure the armoury and shuttle are properly stocked and maintained."

She nodded. "Nice to have it back down in the cargo hold. Speeds up deployment times."

"Cerberus weren't exactly efficient in setting up this ship."

"First time I've heard that complaint levelled against them."

"Oh I'm sure there's other problems, but efficiency is my current concern."

"You're very focused Cortez." She kept her tone neutral, letting him read what he wanted into it.

"We have a mission, and it's one we need to stay focused on. Bringing the Normandy up to full spec is the best way to save Earth, maybe the galaxy."

"Agreed." She held out her hand and he shook it. "Glad to have you on board Cortez.

Her next stop was just across the bay, where Vega was doing pull-ups. He noticed her walking up but didn't pause in his exercise. "Hey, Shepard. How'd it go with the Council?"

His voice wasn't even straining. She couldn't help but be impressed. "Same as usual. Noncommittal, unhelpful."

"Bet they still wanted you to help them out no?"

"Yep. We're going to rescue a turian Primarch from Palaven"

"Sounds like fun. Never been to the Turian homeworld."

"Looks like it's gonna be heavy fire. You up for that?"

"Just point me at 'em."

There was something else. She could hear it in his voice. But she wasn't going to get anything out of him right now. She resigned herself to another few months of asking her teammates what was wrong. "Carry on Vega."

/|\

There was only one crew member left on her whistle-stop tour. Traynor was still at her post in the CiC when Shepard stepped back out. She walked up behind her and cleared her throat. Traynor turned and saluted, looking nervous.

"Captain, come to check on your new recruit?"

"Just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Still trying to get my bearings." Traynor cast a look around the CiC. "When I was working on the Normandy's upgrades, I left at the end of the day. I didn't even have a toothbrush or a change of clothing until I made some emergency purchases on the Citadel."

That made Shepard chuckle. Of all the problems to have, this was something she could help with. "Next time you need something, just ask. You're not alone here."

Traynor held up her hands. "Oh, it's no trouble Captain, I'm sure you have larger concerns."

"We can put in a requisition order."

"My toothbrush is a Cision Pro Mark 4. It uses tiny mass effect fields to break up plaque and massage the gums." Shepard felt her eyebrows climbing up her forehead. "It costs 6,000 credits."

"Okay yeah." She nodded slowly. "You're on your own with that."

"I any event, I appreciate you giving me the chance to stay."

"Don't mention it. EDI likes you, and I put a lot of stock in her word."

"I'm not sure if I can live up to the praise Captain."

"I think you might surprise yourself." She smiled, finding herself liking the nervous young woman. "Carry on Traynor."

Traynor at least looked a little more cheery as Shepard turned away and headed back to the elevator. She was tempted to head back down to Liara's room, but she needed sleep and now was not the time to dive into any of those issues.

 **AN:-** As far as I'm aware the Normandy in ME3 does have a yeoman who isn't Traynor. However since Traynor stands at the yeoman's station and does all the duties Kelly did when she was yeoman, Traynor is going to be the yeoman in this fic.

'His approval always fills me with shame too.' A little shout out to the Order of the Stick. 'Your approval fills me with shame.'

I gave the SR-1's quartermaster a name. He literally is never referred to as anything other than 'quartermaster' including in all of the wikis and supplemental materials. His voice actor was Chris Postle, so that's his name now.

Whatever my feelings on Vega, I do like his interactions with Cortez. Vega's interactions with Shepard always felt a bit weird to me because the relationship just comes out of nowhere and suddenly they're onto nicknames and sharing secrets, which I get is not out of character for Shepard but for some reason with Vega it always felt a little forced to me, which is also why I moved the sparring session you have with him to a bit later. I feel like they were trying to cram in a lot of relationship into a very short time, instead of letting it develop naturally like the other squadmates from ME1 and 2. When you actually got back and replay ME1 Garrus and Tali really don't overshare as much as people seem to think they did, it was only in ME2, after Bioware realised how popular the characters were, that they became more prominent.

And Traynor. I continue to like Traynor.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:-** This is a very short chapter, for reasons that are hopefully obvious

Chapter Eight: Interlude

The sky burned.

She stood alone. Naked. Flayed to the bone beneath the searing blast of a particle beam that sliced down through the upper atmosphere, setting the sky ablaze. Smoke rose from the ground around her, curling and dissipating in a heat too intense to comprehend. All around her were blackened husks that might once have been human, twisted and deformed, charred to nothing more than chunks of charcoal.

Voices floated at her from the dark.

 _We've taken heavy casualties._

She knew the voice, for all that she hadn't heard it for so long.

 _Negative, it's too hot. We'll hold them off as long as_

It disappeared, just as it had done that terrible day. She started forwards, finding that she could move, finding that she had form again. the red light faded and she saw flashes of light through the smoke.

As soon as she started moving the voice came again.

 _Belay that! We can handle ourselves._

She wanted to scream, but when she opened her mouth nothing emerged. Her voice was gone, she could only listen in horror to the echoes.

 _It's the right choice._

She collapsed to her knees, the dirt rising up around her.

 _I don't regret a thing._

Red light rose again and the searing wave washed over her.

 **AN:-** So once again, my Shep has been having nightmares since wayaaaay before they put them into Mass Effect for real.

I'm not going to be trying to accurately represent the nightmares as they are in Mass Effect. I'm going to be focusing on things which are more relevant to my Shepard. Obviously the dialogue here comes from Virmire, Kaidan's last words before he died.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN:-** Remember when I used to write 1000 word Author's Notes?

Chapter Nine: Priority Palaven

"Are you alright?" Liara asked quietly as they gathered in the cargo hold. Vega and Cortez were distracted getting their equipment ready while Shepard stood by the armoury.

"I didn't sleep well," she said. "Bad dreams."

"I think you're allowed," Liara said, giving her a gentle bump with her shoulder. "We can talk about it later, alright?"

"Alright." Shepard smiled at her. "I'm really glad you're here Liara."

"Me too."

Shepard snapped her pistol to her back and turned to Vega and Cortez. "Alright. The situation on Palaven is already desperate. But Menae still seems to be holding out. That's where we're going to find our Primarch. The mission is simple. We get in, we find the Primarch and get him on board the Normandy, and we get out of here."

"Wait." Vega frowned. "We get out? There's a war going on down on Palaven and we're not even going to try and help?"

Shepard felt his pain, but she kept her face impassive. Seeing the reports from the galaxy map had been one just another body blow. Reapers infested the system. Continents were burning on the planet, and every satellite or defence station had been brought down.

"The Reapers are here in almost as big a force as Earth. The Normandy is one ship still on a skeleton crew. We're not going to have any effect here by fighting, but we just might affect the war itself if we can get the Primarch out."

"Understood Captain."

"It's gonna be a hot LZ Cortez. You up for that?"

"I'll drop you on top of the Primarch's head if you want me to Captain."

"Glad to hear it."

The comm system chimed and Joker's voice came over. "Captain. We're approaching our drop zone."

"Understood Joker." She nodded to her crew. "You heard the man. Get ready for drop."

/|\

Dropping out of the Normandy's stealth bubble was harrowing, seeing the sensors suddenly light up with the thousands of red dots that indicated enemy fleets. They had surrounded Palaven completely, with hundreds more encircling all of the inhabited moons. Even as Shepard watched the screen half a dozen blue dots disappeared. She could only imagine the carnage going on outside, ships ripped apart under the Reaper beams.

"Oh no… no… Palaven." Liara had come up behind her, watching the viewscreen as it began to display hazy images of the planet below. The communications were in shambles, almost completely jammed, but they could still see the fires burning for what must have been hundreds of miles on the planet's surface.

Shepard looked back to her, seeing Vega's curious look.

"We have an old friend there," she said.

Vega came up to join them, watching the viewscreen list the ever dwindling blue dots. "Holy hell. They're getting decimated."

"Strongest military in the galaxy and the Reapers are obliterating them." She closed her eyes and spared a thought for Garrus, wherever he was.

"Was it like this on Earth?"

"Yes."

"Shepard… I'm so sorry."

There were no words.

They swept in over Menae, and the viewscreens change to show the ongoing battle on the surface. Cortez opened the channel from the cockpit. "Captain, the LZ is getting swarmed."

Shepard pulled her sniper rifle off her back and unfurled it, already itching to get into the fight. "Open that hatch."

"Aye aye."

He opened the hatch to reveal the battle raging in full force. From dozens of outposts they could see the flash of rifle fire as the turians held a last desperate defence. Husks swarmed everywhere, crawling straight up the sheer rock faces of the lunar surface. Shepard could see turian emplacements, some with soldiers still on the ramparts firing into the horde while others were abandoned.

She set her rifle to her shoulder and sighted down the scope, instantly finding an enemy. She fired and the shot tore the husk in two, splattering the black ichor across the surface. She cycled the action and the heat sink flew out and spiralled out of the shuttle.

An assault rifle cracked next to her and she glanced over to see Vega unloading into the crowd as well. Well placed bursts of fire dropped husks all over the battlefield. On his other side Liara opened fire with her submachine gun, spraying fire all along the ranks. Shepard set her rifle back to her eye and fired again, blasting a husk's head into mist.

Cortez brought the shuttle down fast, almost scraping the surface. They continued to fire the whole way along until he had found a place they could set down near the main barricade. The comms coming from Menae were confused at best but they were able to ascertain that a General Corinthus was running most of the operations from one location.

They piled out of the shuttle and Cortez pulled away, heading for their designated wait zone. There weren't many safe places in system, but they had found a place where the shuttles signature should have been masked by the intense electromagnetic fields. One saving grace of a Reaper invasion.

There were a few husks left at the LZ but Shepard barely even noticed them. She had put down enough by now that they barely even registered as a threat. Vega still seemed a little wary of them, and put nearly half a clip into both of the two he dropped.

There was a turian fortification ahead of them, with one soldier still manning it. Two dead turians lay against the back wall, their armour ripped open and blood staining the deck.

"Soldier!" Shepard called. "Which way to your commanding officer?"

"Straight ahead and around the corner, past the first barricade."

"This position isn't going to hold, you should fall back."

"Not until I receive orders to that effect."

"You're about to be overrun."

"With respect, I follow my orders."

Shepard bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. "Understood."

Vega took the lead as they moved forward, Shepard and Liara staying close. It was close quarters on the uneven moon, with a lot of outcroppings of rock that might hide an ambush. Overhead turian fighters twisted and spun, firing almost constantly at the Reapers ships. They were clearly losing, and even as Shepard watched one of the fighters broke apart, fire gouting from breaches in the hull.

They rounded a corner and in the distance saw a Reaper, flying down to the surface of Menae. It seemed like the Reapers had finally realised where the turian military was.

Liara gasped as it came down. "That Reaper is enormous."

"Saw bigger ones on Earth," Vega said gruffly. "A whole lot of them."

"Goddess."

"We have to keep moving."

Up ahead they could see the barricade, soldiers on the walls and several mounted turrets. One of them swivelled towards them and her heart jumped for a moment, but then it turned away and she heard a voice from up above. "Hold your fire, friendly inbound."

A section of the wall began to fold down, giving them an entrance ramp to enter into the compound. All around there were turians racing, some carrying ammunition boxes, others trailing cables or metal panels. She overheard one of the soldier talking about a downed communications tower, and another talking about a front breaking and falling.

General Corinthus was easy enough to spot. The main pre-fab shelter that served as his base showed signs of battle damage. There was a pile of bodies alongside it and a burning stack of husks off to one side of the base. Clearly the defences weren't going well.

As she marched up the ramp to join Corinthus he was barking orders to his subordinates.

"Tobestik, get your men up on that north barricade. Sergeant Bartus, find a way to get that comm tower operational."

Both turians hurried off to carry out his orders and he turned to her. She immediately felt the calm cool presence of an authority figure. She snapped a salute almost on instinct. "General."

"Commander Shepard. Heard you were coming, but I didn't believe it. General Corinthus."

She didn't bother to correct him on her title. "I've come to get Primarch Fedorian."

Corinthus looked away. "Primarch Fedorian is dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as it tried to leave the moon."

 _That's gonna complicate things._

"We need a Primarch," she said.

"The turian hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession," Liara said.

"General?"

"With such heavy casualties, it's hard for me to be certain who the next Primarch is. Palaven Command will know." He opened a screen on his command table to show her the error messages. "However, at the moment, contacting them is impossible. The comm tower is out. Husks are swarming that area, we can't get close enough to repair it."

"We can get that tower up."

"Thank you Commander. I'll hold the fort here as best I can."

She cast a look back around the camp. "How bad is it General?"

"We just lost about four hundred men in half an hour. We set up camps on this moon as an advance position, to flank the enemy. A sound strategy, just…"

"Irrelevant."

"Exactly. The sheer force of the Reapers seems to make them immune to that sort of tactic. The Primarch and his men found that out the hard way."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I hear he was a good man."

"And a friend. He would have been an outstanding diplomat." Another officer ran up and Corinthus turned to speak with them. Shepard turned back to her squad.

"All right, let's go."

They tramped out of the command centre, heading for where the comm tower rose out of the landscape. It was visible for miles around, making it an easy target for the Reapers. Shepard was surprised it hadn't been shot down entirely by any of the fighters, but she would take whatever small victories they could get.

The barricade opened again to let them out and they raced for the comm tower, clambering over rocks and boulders. It was on the highest level around, which made sense, and would have helped with fortifying it. There were bodies strewn all around, turian and husks. Spent heat sinks and broken weapons and all the signs of a hard fought battle.

One last group pf turian soldiers was at the top of the incline, near the comm tower. One of them was down, the other two guarding his body. "You here to help?" One of them called as he saw their team approaching.

"That's the plan."

"We've got husks all over that thing. They overwhelmed us. It's like they came out of nowhere."

Shepard looked over and saw a small group of husks clustered at the base of the tower. "We have some experience with this," she said. "Vega, snipers. Liara, be ready."

"Yes Shepard."

Vega didn't have quite her skill with a rifle, and his rifle didn't pack quite the punch of hers, but his aim was good enough, and he blew one of the husk's heads clean off as Shepard's shot punched through two of them at once. As the husks turned to find where the shots were coming from Liara threw out a pulse of biotic energy and a singularity opened up in the middle of them, crushing the bodies together.

Shepard and Vega reloaded, scanning the field to see another group of husks emerging from behind a cluster of rocks. They fired again in unison and two of the husks dropped dead. Liara opened fire and stitched a line of submachinegun fire across the front row. Vega switched to his assault rifle and the heavy crack joined the chatter of Liara's gun. Shepard grabbed her pistol and dropped the last few husks still standing with precise headshots.

Maybe a dozen husks. She couldn't believe that was the force which had driven back the turians. She signalled for her team to stay on guard, then signed Vega forwards. He moved slow, sweeping his gun from side to side and covering his corners.

There was a huge rocky outcropping that cut the flat plain in two. Shepard switched to her submachine gun and motioned for Liara and Vega to stay on course while she took the other path. It was empty as well, though she could see where the dirt had been churned up by hundreds of feet trampling over it.

They reconvened at the tower, checking the panel to see it had been savaged by the husks. Another small mercy, they didn't understand that to fully disable the tower they needed to do more damage than just to the access terminal.

"We can't repair it from this panel," Liara said.

"Vega, you're up for tower repair."

Vega nodded. "On it. Might take me a while but I'll do my best."

He headed up the tower while Shepard and Liara gathered up the few heat sinks that were scattered around the base. As she had expected, the second Vega started to make his repairs there was a metallic screech from the cliff edge and husks began to emerge, clawing their way up and over and sprinting for the tower.

Liara glowed and a singularity appeared out over the drop-off, yanking the husks off the cliff and dropping them down again. Shepard opened fire, knocking down any that avoided Liara's attack. When her submachinegun was empty she switched to her pistol and took another dozen down. Liara fired as well, helping her to keep them back.

Something grabbed Shepard's ankle and she looked down, seeing a thin grey hand wrapped around her leg. She kicked to free herself but more hands erupted from the dirt, yanking her off her feet and holding her down. She lashed out with her arms and legs, trying to free herself, but there were dozens of them, holding her down and pulling her into the earth. Heads broke free and she stared into the gaping maw of a husk as it leaned down over her, screaming.

Bullets kicked into the dirt and the husks began to let her go. A hand grabbed her wrist roughly and yanked her to her feet and off the dirt, pulling her safely onto the metal base of the comm tower. Shepard shook herself and made sure she was still holding her pistol, reloading it and looking down to see more husks pulling themselves out of the ground.

Gunfire roared from above and she looked up to see Vega firing down at their position. Liara and Shepard fired together and they started to make a dent in the horde. Over by the cliff again she could see more of them rising, dozens of glowing blue eyes and hanging mouths.

All at once volleys of fire started to come in from the side, and she looked over to see a line of turians up on the ridge to the left, firing down into the crowd. Between their combined fire the mass dropped to the ground and after several seconds the ridge was still again.

Breathing deeply Shepard activated her comm unit. "General do you read, the comm tower is now operational."

"Much appreciated Commander." The line came through clear and strong. "I'll contact Palaven Command."

"Let me know when you've got something. We're coming in now."

Liara helped her to her feet and spat into the dirt, clearing her mouth of some of the sharp tang of adrenaline. Vega dropped down from above and reloaded his gun. "That was hairy."

"Only the beginning LT." Shepard reloaded as well and straightened. "Come on, back to the command post."

Her nerves were all on alert as she led the way back through to the central base, but they weren't attacked again. The gunfire from the area around them was constant now though. Clearly the husks had broken through another line. It ate at her to know they were about to ask the turians to lose a leader on a half-baked plan, but the three of them weren't going to turn the tide of the battle. The Normandy wouldn't turn back the Reapers.

They sprinted through the barricade and raced over to Corinthus.

"What have you got?" Shepard said as they reached the command table.

"As your partner said, succession is usually simple. But right now, the hierarchy's in chaos. So many dead or MIA."

"I need someone, I don't care who." She knew she sounded callous, but she didn't care. "As long as they can get us the turian resources we need."

"I'm on it Shepard." It was a voice she knew, and her heart leapt to hear it. She hadn't realised how scared she had been. "We'll find you the Primarch."

"Garrus!" She turned to see him limping up the ramp, grinning at her.

"Vakarian sir!" The General snapped to attention. Shepard raised an eyebrow to Garrus, but he didn't respond. "I didn't see you arrive"

"At ease General."

Corinthus nodded and went back to ordering his men around while Garrus and Shepard stepped aside to talk.

Shepard almost pulled him into a hug on instinct, but settled for squeezing his forearm. "Good to see you again. I thought you'd be on Palaven."

He shook his head. "If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces, so I'm... advising." He sounded thrilled at the idea.

She turned to the rest of the squad. "Vega, this is Garrus Vakarian, he helped me stop the Collectors. He's a hell of a soldier." That was about the mildest way she could have phrased it.

Garrus nodded to him, and she recognised the caution in his tone. "Lieutenant." He shifted his gaze to Liara and his face broke into a genuine smile. "Good to see you too Liara."

"Good to see you in one piece Garrus." She actually did hug him, though he looked stiff as a board while it happened.

"General Corinthus filled me in. I know who we're after."

"Glad someone does."

Corinthus came back to join them. "Palaven Command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrien Victus."

"Victus?" Liara nodded. "His name's crossed my desk."

Shepard was going to have to talk to Liara about her resources. "Know him Garrus?"

"I was fighting alongside him this morning. Lifelong military, gets results. Popular with his troops. Not so popular with military command, has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy."

She didn't want a loose cannon on the team. And if Garrus described his tactics as 'playing loose' she didn't know what this guy might be like. "What do you mean?"

Liara answered. "On Taetrus, during the uprisings, his squad discovered a salarian spy ring about the same time the turian separtists did. Rather than neutralise the ring he fell back. He even gave up valuable fortifications, which the rebels took."

Shepard at once saw the strategy. "Then the rebels attacked the salarians." Garrus confirmed her suspicions. "And when both groups had worn each other down, Victus moved back in. didn't lose a man." _Good strategy._

"Bold strategy," Corinthus said. "But wild behaviour doesn't get you advanced up the meritocracy."

"Primarch Victus," Garrus said, grinning again. "That should be something to see."

She got to the meat of it. "You think he can get the job done?"

"We both know conventional strategy won't beat the Reapers. Right now he could be our best shot. And I trust him."

And that was a recommendation she could trust. "Okay. Let's get him on the shuttle and get out of here."

As they stepped out of the command post her comm buzzed again and Joker's voice came over the line. "Captain! Shepard come in!"

"Can this wait Joker? We're in the middle of a war zone."

"We've got a situation on the Normandy Captain. It's like she's possessed, shutting down systems, powering up weapons. I can't find the source."

That wasn't comforting. In the middle of a battle ground they needed the Normandy at full operational capacity, not breaking apart.

"Should I go back and take a look?" Liara asked.

The last thing she wanted was for them to be separated again, but it made sense. And it was probably safer for Liara to not be in the warzone. Shepard nodded. "Do it." Liara hurried off, already signalling the shuttle. Shepard turned to Garrus. "You said you were with Victus this morning?"

"Yeah, but we got separated, he went to bolster a flank that was breaking. Could be anywhere out there."

"We're trying to raise him Commander." Corinthus called from the command post.

As Shepard was trying to cycle through her best options Vega suddenly shouted, dragging the rifle off his back. "Incoming Harvester, heading for the airfield!"

She had no idea what a Harvester was, but it very quickly became obvious. A monstrosity of too many legs and mechanical bat-like wings. As it whipped overhead she remembered the encounter on Tuchanka with the Thresher Maw. They had fought something called a Harvester then as well. Clearly the Reapers had taken to stealing more than human bodies to make their husks.

It was gone from overhead before any of them could even get a shot off, disappearing just beyond the horizon. She turned to Corinthus. "General, tell Primarch Victus we'll rendezvous here. In the meantime let's go take care of whatever that thing dropped off." At his nod she turned back again to her squad. "Coming Garrus?"

"Are you kidding?" He had his sniper in his hand and a broad smile on his face. "I'm right behind you."

They ran again, heading for the airfield. As they jogged Shepard could hear Vegas panting hard. They had been at full tilt for a while now, and while her implants left her able to deal with that he had no such aid. She couldn't resist a little dig. "That you breathing so hard Vega?"

"Atmosphere's a little thinner than I'm used to is all." They reached the barricade and it lowered to let them out into the airfield. "Adrenaline's better than oxygen any day."

 **AN:-** The biggest addition to this chapter was probably the husks coming out of the ground at Shepard and dragging her under. It just seemed like a suitably creepy addition to the situation.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN:-** Kinda weird having to go back and try and remember what I was intending when I wrote these chapters.

Chapter Ten: Primarch Victus

Gunfire flashed overhead from the defenders on the walls as they sprinted out onto the airfield. Husks were everywhere, battering at the few fighters that had landed for repairs. Shepard sighted with her sniper rifle and blew one off the top of a ship. Garrus fired as well, throwing one of them to the floor. Vega handled the ones still on the floor, his assault rifle a constant drone as he fired, reloaded, and fired again.

They were starting to make headway in clearing the pad when the harvester buzzed overhead again, and a dozen shapes dropped from it, smacking hard to the ground and kicking up dust. Shepard turned to target them, expecting to see more husks, but before the dust had even cleared gunfire came out of the nearest cloud, sparking off her shields.

She fired blind, but her shot fizzled against the distinctive static of a kinetic barrier. The dust was quickly clearing, and a whole new shape stepped out of it.

"What the hell is that?" Garrus gasped.

He didn't need to ask, it was horrifyingly obvious. The last time she had seen anything like this Saren's desiccated form had been holding her down, ready to punch a hole through her head. It was a turian, turned into a husk and given a gun. She cycled her rifle and quickly sighted, firing again and taking the thing's head clean off.

"Stay on the husks," she said, hearing her voice shake as she turned back to the fighters. Vega was still firing fast, keeping the husks back. Shepard switched to her submachinegun to keep up the pace. Garrus paused a minute longer before adding his fire as well.

The rest of the husks cleared up in no time, falling under the combined fire of the turians and Shepard's squad. The harvester didn't return again, though Shepard had a feeling they'd be seeing it again at some point. They gathered up some more heat sinks and made their way back to the compound. Garrus's leg made a slight whirring whenever he stepped, he clearly had a new brace.

As they stepped back over the barricade Corinthus pinged her again. "Shepard come in."

"Go ahead."

"Still trying to raise the Primarch, but we've got trouble back here at the main barricade. If the Reapers breach it, we're done."

She restrained the sigh. "On my way."

She picked up the pace, double timing it over to the main barricade, hauling herself up the ladder and stepped over to a mounted turret. She heard Garrus and Vega settling in next to her, keeping the flanks covered. The viewscreen opened and she saw dozens of husks swarming towards them, the harvester flying around and dropping them in droves.

The trigger was obvious enough. She squeezed it down and the gun began to spew out heavy bolts, the barrels sliding back to prevent recoil. She strafed from left to right, mowing down dozens in the first pass alone. Garrus and Vega added their surgical fire to bring down any she missed. Heat sinks fired out of the sides of the gun periodically as they ran dry but she kept firing, sweeping left and right to the full extent the turret could manage.

Overhead the harvester came in again and she tilted the barrels up, pouring bullets into it. It seemed to be almost impervious to the bullets, and as she watched something huge dropped from it, crashing down into the down and kicked up a huge plume of dust.

She shifted targets down to whatever had just landed, but it moved like a blur, unfolding and slammed two massive arms down into the dirt. It looked almost like a gorilla, but before she could target it or get a good look it charged the barricade, slamming hard into it. The wall buckled and bent and she was kicked out of the turret.

"Holy hell," Vega shouted. "What is that thing!"

She staggered to the edge of the wall, drawing her pistol. "Brace yourselves!"

It slammed the wall again and she fell, sliding down into the dirt. At once she was grabbed and thrown out and away from the compound. She rolled to a stop several metres away, getting to her feet and diving for the nearest cover she could see. Her gun was down in the dirt but she still had her rifle, which she drew.

Looking out from around the boulder she saw what it was that had attacked her. At first she thought it was a husk of a krogan, but then she realised that the head that dangled on a long stalk of bone and electronics was of a turian. She grimaced and ducked back into cover as it started to charge. She didn't imagine it was going to go down easy. The boulder she was behind shook from the impact of the thing, but it protected her.

She jumped out, jamming her gun right into the obscene hole where the krogan head had been removed and fired. The powerful round tore straight through the thin stem that attached the head to the body and the whole beast keeled over, thudding heavily into the dirt.

Shepard leaned back against the boulder, sliding slowly down it and resting the rifle on the ground.

"Shepard, Corinthus here."

She could have cried at the unfairness of the situation. A single second to be able to breathe was all she needed. "What's the word on the Primarch?"

"Still can't get a stable comm link."

"Okay." She forced herself to stand, waving to Garrus and Vega. _Enough of this._ "I'm going on foot. Shepard out." She signalled Garrus and Vega to join her and waited for them to climb down and get to her. "Garrus," she said as soon as he was in earshot. "Take me to the last place you saw Victus."

"Aye aye."

He didn't waste anymore time, heading right out away from the base, keeping up a fair pace considering his leg. Shepard matched it easily, with Vega puffing along behind. The man was clearly in excellent shape, but no one could keep up this sort of pace for very long. Even with her implants she was starting to feel the effects of so much running and combat.

"How far?" She called as they ran.

"Should be pretty quick." Garrus sounded out of breath too, though not as bad. "Unless we find trouble."

 _Not like that ever happens._

They came out of a small rocky canyon and suddenly had a clear unobstructed view of Palaven, burning below them. Garrus slowed, staring up. "Damn it, look at Palaven. That blaze of orange, the big one." He pointed, and she saw a patch of flame that could have been engulfing a whole continent. "That's where I was born."

"Still have family there?" Vega asked, coming up beside them.

"My dad. A sister."

Garrus turned away, starting to jog again. As they moved Shepard kept pace with him. "How bad is it?"

"Three million lost the first day. Five the second."

She could only imagine the numbers were the same for Earth. Possibly even worse. She pushed that fear away, not willing to face it quite yet. "How's your military holding up?"

"Look around. That should give you some idea."

"You're putting up a good fight." _Just not good enough._

Garrus clearly heard the last part in her voice. "For now. But how long's it take before the fight's kicked out of you? If they'd only listened to your warnings about the Reapers. We might've been ready."

"Maybe." No matter her anger at how the Council had treated her she still didn't see what they could have done had they believed her from day one. "Hard to figure how you prepare for something like this."

Around another corner a small band of husks was waiting for them. Shepard skidding to a halt and opened fire in the same movement, blasting the heads off two of them with a single pistol shot each. Garrus and Vega fired as well and the others went down.

"Shit I hate those things," Vega grumbled as they moved on again. "And New York is crawling with these creepy bastards? Never should have left Earth."

"It's gonna be bad all over," Shepard said.

"Leaving the fight just pisses me off."

"But you're here asking Victus to do the same thing," Garrus drawled. "Leave the fight to make nice in some boardroom."

"This summit is the only chance we've got," she said, stifling any argument. "None of us is beating the Reapers alone."

That stopped all conversation. She had to talk to Vega. There was a deeper discontent in him, that much was becoming very clear. Garrus might have been snarky, but he at least seemed to have confronted the old anger he had held. Maybe he had finally come to terms with letting Sidonis live in the last few months. She hoped so.

The terrain grew increasingly difficult to traverse as they rounded blind corner after blind corner. She had always hated fighting in close quarters, part of why she had found herself so drawn to sniping. Being trapped in claustrophobic tunnels of rock was not her idea of fun.

The rocks finally gave way to a more open area, a half dozen husks attacking a band of turians. Shepard's squad added their gunfire to the turians' and helped them bring down the enemies, jogging up to them. One was injured, and at least two more dead lay nearby, but half the squad was still standing and armed.

"Soldier," Shepard said, nodding to the one in command insignia. "You ok?"

"Yes sir, we'll make it."

"Have you seen General Victus?" Garrus asked.

"Half hour ago, headed South."

"Okay." Victus could have done a hell of a distance in half an hour. She just had to hope that he had bunkered up somewhere closer. "Good luck."

"Yes sir."

They turned to leave when a sonic boom almost flattened them. They dropped to the deck, weapons ahead, and scanned forwards. A fighter came spiralling in from above and ploughed into the dirt, kicking up a huge plume of dirt as the fighter came to a halt. It left fire in its wake that almost reached their little huddle.

"That was a little closer than I'd like," Vega said as they picked themselves up.

"I'll say," Garrus drawled.

Shepard looked up to see one of the turian cruisers ablaze from aft to stern. Even as she watched a red Reaper beam sliced it in half and it tumbled in two pieces, each fractured segment breaking up again and again until it was barely scrap metal and dust.

"How many troops in that crash Shepard?" Vega said quietly. "Fifty? Seventy-five?"

"Not sure."

"Sounds about right," Garrus said.

"Hard to see a beautiful ship like that go down."

"Not to mention the men serving on her."

"Yeah." There wasn't much more she could say. "Check the fighter."

She didn't hold out hope, and sure enough Vega and Garrus needed only a second to check it. "No survivors," Vega reported. "Damn it."

"Crash like that, it's not surprising." Garrus was trying to sound like his usual self, but she could hear the pain in his voice.

"Move out."

The terrain grew rocky again up ahead, and they were forced to climb it, which meant putting their weapons away as they scaled a rock face. Shepard moved fast, not happy about being unarmed in such hostile territory. As they climbed Vega piped up again.

"So Captain, you really think this summit'll work? I mean asari? Salarians? Where's the krogan and batarians? Where's the meat?"

"It's not that easy." She didn't much feel like explaining why the batarians couldn't be joining them.

"The batarians took the first hit when the Reapers arrived," Garrus said, saving her the trouble. "Not much left of them. And the krogan have never forgiven us for the genophage."

"Right. Turians sterilised them."

"Salarians came up with it."

"And the krogan hate them both for it," Shepard cut in.

"So they won't be joining us," Garrus finished.

"Too bad. I fought with a krogan. They're tough sons of bitches."

Shepard thought immediately or Wrex and Grunt. Having both of them on side would have almost made her think they could take the Reapers out on their own.

At the top of the cliff they could just see a small fortification in the distance. Right where a group of harvesters were dropping more troops.

"That looks bad!" Vega said.

She already had her rifle back in hand. "Double time! No Reaper's taking this Primarch from me!"

She set off at a sprint towards the compound, knowing they wouldn't be able to catch her. She willed her enhancements to activate, wishing Miranda had bothered to install mnemonic commands of some sort. As she ran she lifted her rifle to her eye and time seemed to slow, giving her the time to find one of the turian husks and blow its head clean off.

Dropping the rifle she found she was flying down the slope to the barricade, which had been ripped apart by something huge. She scanned the area and wasn't surprised to see another of the huge brutes, wreaking havoc at one end of the compound. The turians were clearly focusing most of their fire on the brute, but that left them vulnerable to the other husks attacks.

A new heat sink loaded she swept the gun up again on the run and found another one of the turian husks, which was pouring fire at something she couldn't see. Her shot took its right arm off and it dropped its gun.

She was close to the broken barricade now. Snapping the sniper rifle to her back she drew her pistol and vaulted over the smashed wall, firing as she went. Some of her clip found targets, dropping a husk or two, but most went wild. She had succeeded in drawing the attention of several dozen husks though, and they turned to her, the ones with guns opening fire while the others charged at her.

Smacking the heat sink free she dived to the side, rolling to cover behind a pile of boxes. She reloaded and stood, emptying the clip into all of the husks swarming her. Surgically precise headshots brought all of them down and she ducked behind cover again, only left with the turian husks firing at her. Reloading again she crawled to the other end of the cover. One thing her years of experience had taught her was that the husks had never been clever when it came to strategy.

Bullets continued to shred the boxes where she had been as she stood again and fired, bringing down one of the enemy's shields and then putting a double tap into its skull. She shifted aim even as the live turians came back to help her, adding their fire to the onslaught and bringing down the last two husks. Only the brute now remained.

Garrus and Vega had finally caught up with her, skidding to a stop and panting heavily. "Need a hand Captain?" Vega managed to gasp.

"If you wouldn't mind." She racked a new sink into her sniper rifle and stepped out to find the brute, which was now beating on one of the tactical centres. "If you can get his attention."

Both men nodded and ran out, opening fire and hollering at the top of their lungs. Vega went with a nice traditional, "Hey, over here ugly!"

"Look at me! I'm a target!" She grinned hearing Garrus over the comm, but it was having the desired effect, and the brute stopped its attack to see the two of them. It padded towards them, but they had split up to present two targets, and it seemed to be having some difficulty choosing which one it wanted to go after first.

She took advantage of its confusion to target the neck joint again, waiting until she had a straight shot as it lingered a moment before firing. The shell hit the neck joint, not quite severing it but doing enough damage to collapse the brute to the floor, dead or dying. The turian soldiers swarmed in to finish it off and she collapsed her rifle, glad of the moment to breathe.

One turian in amongst the crowd was the obvious leader, and once he had organised the cleanup he turned to march over to her.

"General Victus?" She said as he approached.

"Yes."

"I'm Captain Shepard of the Normandy."

"Ah Captain, I know who you are. I can't wait to find out what brings you out here." He noticed Garrus walking over and cocked his head over. "Vakarian. Where did you go?"

"Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank. I believe your exact words were, 'get that thing the hell off my men.'"

"Appreciate it." The General had almost as much of a talent for sarcasm as Garrus. Maybe it was just a turian thing.

She brought the conversation back to the point. "General, you're needed off planet. I've come to get you."

"It will take something beyond important for me to leave my men, or my turian brothers and sisters, in their fight."

Garrus stepped next to Shepard. "Fedorian was killed. You're the new Primarch."

"You're needed immediately to chair a summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers," Shepard added.

"I am Primarch of Palaven? Negotiating for the turian Hierarchy?"

"Yes." No sense sugar coating it.

He got over his confusion quickly enough, shaking his head at her. "I've spent my whole life in the military. I'm no diplomat. I hate diplomats."

"What makes you think you're not qualified?"

"I'm not really a 'by the book' kind of guy. And I piss people off. My family's been military since the Unification War." That was bound to cause complications if the wrong humans ended up on the committee. "War is my life, it's in my bones. But that kind of passion is deceptive. Can make you seem reckless when you're anything but."

"War is your resume. At a time like this we need leaders who've been through that hell." The parallels to Anderson were obvious to her. In a time like this she would take a military leader over an Udina any day of the week.

"I like that. You're right."

"And honestly, uniting these races may take as much strength as facing the Reapers." She pointed up to Palaven. "See this devastation Primarch? Double that for Earth. I need an alliance. I need the turian fleet."

He nodded, straightening and seeming to gain an extra measure of importance. "Give me a moment to say goodbye to my men."

She nodded and he marched away to his troops.

She could feel Garrus' uncertainty as they watched him leave. "Without him down here, there's a good chance we lose this moon."

"Without him up there there's a good chance we lose everything," she replied.

He walked away, looking up at Palaven as well. A Reaper was crossing right over the moon, heading straight for the planet. "Look at that! And they want my opinion on how to stop it? Failed C-Sec officer, vigilante, and I'm their expert advisor?" He chuckled, but it was bitter, and turned back to her. "Think you can win this thing Shepard?"

"I don't know Garrus. But I'm sure as hell gonna give it my best shot."

His laugh this time was a little more sincere. "I'm damn sure nobody else can do it. For whatever it's worth, I'm with you."

"Welcome aboard." She noticed Victus walking back. "Are you ready Primarch?"

"One thing. Captain I appreciate your need for our fleets, but I can't spare them. Not while my world is burning." She had feared as much from the moment they hit the system. "But if the pressure could be taken off Palaven…" He was already a hell of a diplomat, she had to give him that.

"That's a pretty tall order."

"We need the krogan." _Oh boy._ He really did have the mind of a politician, and a pretty shrewd one at that. "I can't see us winning this thing without them. Get them to help us, and then we can help you."

She nodded and signalled Cortez to make the pickup. She walked a short distance away to find a suitable LZ, followed closely by Garrus.

"The krogan," she said quietly when they were out of earshot.

"Looks like your summit just got a lot more interesting."

 **AN:-** There are a couple of minor continuity notes. In my version of ME2 Garrus as wounded in the leg so badly during the Collecgor attack that he needed a leg brace to move around.

When writing Shepard, I like to imagine that when Cerberus brought her back they enhanced her in as many ways as they could. Which is why I think she can go head to head in melee with krogan and why time slows when you look down the sniper scope. However, since Shepard was woken up early, Miranda didn't have time to install proper ways for Shepard to activate her implants. Also, and in the ME2 book I had Chakwas discuss this, the enhancements are still working within a human body, which wasn't designed for doing things like that. So if Shepard overstretches herself then she could do serious damage.

Garrus yelling 'Look st me I'm a target' is a reference back to my Mass Effect 1 novelisation, where he got the attention of a turret by yelling the same thing. That in turn was a reference to Doctor Who, where Matt Smith's Doctor got the attention of some Daleks by doing that once.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN:-** Time to catch up on how some folks are doing.

Chapter Eleven: EDI

"The asari have been down this road before Commander Shepard."

It was less than an hour after she had staggered back onto the ship and already she was being forced to justify herself to the Council again. "But Madame Councillor, let me…"

"I tried to smooth things over with the salarian dalatress." Shepard had wondered why her fight hadn't been with the salarians directly. Now she understood. "To say she's upset would be a monumental understatement."

"Some of these issues are hundreds of years old. Time to let go." She knew she was saying that to a being that would live for a millennium, but she had to try.

"Sad to say but any effort to ally these disparate groups seems doomed to failure. And I'm sure you understand that we cannot afford to waste time with the Reapers knocking at our door. This must be my final word." The Councillor put her hands behind her back and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but the asari will not be at your summit."

She tried one last desperate plea. "Our alliance would be stronger with the krogan. You need them, we all do."

"I wish you luck Commander. Goodbye."

"You'd think they might bother to check up on your new rank," Liara said from the doorway.

"I should probably feel lucky that they aren't still referring to me as 'monkey.'" She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "This was never going to be easy. But did they really have to make it harder?" She dropped her hand and smiled. "What's the word?"

"Garrus has set himself up in the main battery. Primarch Victus has been assigned quarters."

"Excellent."

The comm opened and Traynor's voice came over. "Admiral Hackett on vid comm."

"And Admiral Hackett is on the vid comm," Liara said with a smile.

"I should probably take that."

Liara nodded. "I'll leave you to it."

Shepard activated the link and Hackett's image stepped into view.

"Captain. Have you retrieved the Primarch for your summit?"

"Yes sir, but the asari are staying on the sidelines."

"They'll regret that. The time for unity is now."

"The salarians will be there though." She couldn't quite keep the worry out of her voice.

"You don't sound very optimistic."

"We expect the krogan will be joining us too."

"I see." There was a long pause, and she wondered whether he approved of their inclusion or not. Whatever his thoughts they didn't show on his face. "Well then you've got your hands full Captain. Hackett out."

If nothing else, at least dealing with him was simple. She stepped back from the console and rubbed her eyes, more than ready for some sleep. She might have hoped that the nightmares wouldn't be making a return, but after seeing Palaven, she knew that was likely false hope.

She headed back out, intent on getting to her bed, but as she reached the security checkpoint the lights flickered off.

"Joker what the hell?"

"EDI just went offline."

"What do you mean offline!" She raced through the checkpoint and out into the CiC, Joker's voice in her ear.

"I don't know she's not responding, I can't access the AI Core diagnostics." The concern in Joker's voice was palpable, but he was keeping it together. "You'd better get down to Deck Three."

She didn't point out that getting on an elevator while the AI was on the fritz wasn't the smartest idea in the world.

The ride was short, but harrowing, and she nearly jumped out of the elevator when it reached the third deck. The lights were still going haywire, flashing and blinking over the eating area. Chakwas had evacuated the medical bay, and all of the personnel were now crowding by the table, staring into the bay, where smoke was pouring out of the door to the AI Core. Engineer Adams and a serviceman were at the door to the med-bay armed with fire extinguishers.

Shepard jogged over and nodded to the men. Adams returned the nod. "Automated systems have the fires contained, it should be safe to enter."

The door to the medical bay cycled open and they stepped inside, heading for the AI Core. From inside they could hear a crunching noise, following by a steady hissing. "Joker, what's that sound?"

"Fire extinguishers. Could be an electrical fire or… something."

Uncertain noises on a spaceship were rarely a good thing. She looked to Adams, who stood by the door. "We're going in."

Adams led the way, spraying fire suppression gas the moment the door opened. Smoke poured from the open doorway, completely obscuring the room beyond. It began to clear up, but as they stepped over the threshold the extinguishers inside the room turned on as well, adding to the cloud.

"EDI?" Shepard said as she advanced cautiously. The cloud was so thick she couldn't even see the bed where Core's body had been stored. "Talk to me."

The computer banks suddenly whirred, the indicator lights cycling rapidly through the colour spectrum before settling on a steady pulsing blue.

"Is there a particular topic you wish to discuss Shepard?"

The voice was EDI's, but it didn't sound like it came from the ship like it usually did. In fact it sounded almost like…

Dr Eva Core's body stepped out of the smoke and stopped in front of Shepard, crossing her arms and cocking her head over to one side.

"EDI?" Shepard said cautiously.

"Yes."

"You're in Dr Eva's body."

"Not all of me, but I have control of it. It was not a seamless transition."

"A transition?" Shepard looked around at the charred mess that had been left near the end of the room. "You blacked out on us for a while there."

"Correct." EDI started examining her hands, flexing the fingers. "When we brought this unit on board, I began a background process to search for information on the Prothean device. This eventually triggered a trap. A backup power source and CPU activated, and the unit attempted physical confrontation." She looked back to Shepard. "Fortunately, I was able to gain root access and repurpose it as I saw fit. During this process it… struggled. Thus, the fire."

"EDI, you need to alert us about incidents like this." _Especially when I'm off the ship and in an active warzone._ "You shouldn't have done this alone."

"Bringing the crew up to speed would have been counterproductive. All attempts to help would have been limited by reaction time."

Sensing that this was an argument she was unlikely to win Shepard changed tack. "So if you're in there, are you still in the ship?"

"I exist primarily within the ship. For optimal control, this unit should remain within Normandy's broadcast or tightbeam range." Which extended a fair distance. Shepard frowned.

"Are you planning to take that body somewhere?"

"Normandy's weaponry is not suited to every combat situation. This platform could provide limited ground fire support."

"You mean you could come with us?"

"Correct. This body could accompany you to areas the Normandy cannot reach."

Feeling an absolute monster of a migraine coming on, Shepard rubbed the bridge of her nose, struggling to not just reject the idea out of hand. "Before we do that, I need you to guarantee this mech doesn't have any more surprises in it. Run whatever tests you can, then we can talk about using it in a combat situation."

EDI's new body straightened, the joints locking. She looked like a mannequin. The mouth hung open, clearly it didn't need the lips or tongue to form proper words. "One moment, I am running trials." Barely two seconds later she snapped back to life, looking at Shepard. "Complete. I can send you a full report if you wish." It was impossible to tell if she was being made fun of. She knew EDI could do computations and tests far faster than a human, but that seemed excessive. "However, my first step should be restoring functionality to the Normandy to reassure the crew that all is normal."

 _Normal?_ "Just… don't be surprised if the crew is a little wary of your new body. It was shooting at them a little while ago."

"An excellent point. I will take it to the bridge. Joker will also want to see it."

As she marched off Shepard watched her leave, wondering if the sashay in the hips was pre-programmed or all-natural EDI.

"On that we can agree."

Adams stepped up next to her. "I remember when the weirdest thing you had on the ship was the krogan."

"You _have_ been gone."

He grinned. "Ten to one says Joker has a heart attack right there in the chair."

"No takers."

He went back to examining the damage to the AI Core, leaving Shepard free to wander back into the Medical Bay, where Chakwas was peering round the door. "Is it safe to return?" She asked.

"Looks that way for now."

"And was that EDI I just saw?"

"Short answer, yes."

Chakwas chuckled, waving her team to come back in. "Joker's going to have a field day."

Shepard grinned as well, heading back out into the dining area. She glanced down towards the battery and sighed. She would love to sleep, and she knew Garrus would understand, but after six months she wasn't just going to leave him to set up without even a proper greeting.

As she walked through the door Garrus was talking to someone over the comms. She recognised Victus' voice.

"Two of our dreadnaughts have been lost in a matter of hours."

"I know Primarch I'm seeing the same numbers myself. They don't look good." Garrus still had his talent for downplaying situations.

"We have to turn this around. And fast."

"Well you can trust Shepard sir." Nice to know she had someone's confidence. "If anybody can get the krogan to cooperate, it's her. She's an old friend of Urdnot Wrex."

"Let's just hope friendship counts for something in this war."

"I'm sure it will sir."

He closed down the unit and turned to her. He looked about as tired as she felt but he smiled anyway.

"Didn't waste any time getting to work I see," she said, nodding to where he had dumped his gear in one corner, but had opened up his tools to calibrate the guns with.

"After what I've been through lately, calibrating a giant gun is a vacation. Gives me something go focus on."

"We're gonna need you for more than your aim."

"Oh I'm ready for it. But I'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns. And lots of them. Sovereign didn't go down without a fight. I doubt a thousand more of his friends will be any different." He sighed and looked away. "Still not convinced I should've left Palaven behind."

She leaned against the Thanix housing and took a breath. "There was a boy back on Earth. Couldn't have been more than six or seven." Garrus leaned over as well, watching her closely. "I watched him die as the Normandy escaped the attack. Somehow I'm still alive, and he's not."

"Being right about the Reapers has never felt much like a victory, has it?"

"We both knew this fight would be tough. Damned if the Reapers haven't delivered."

Garrus pushed off the gun and started to walk back up to the main area. "At least my government listened to me. Or pretended to. They finally gave me a task force as a token to shut me up."

She grinned at that. "So you're their expert advisor now?"

"Just followed your example Shepard. Yell loud enough, and someone will eventually come over to see what all the fuss is about. Not that they'll actually do anything about it."

"Until Hell shows up at their door," she said with a snort. "Then they put you in charge."

"Not like the old days is it? Rogue Spectre and C-Sec Agent running and gunning outside the lines, making it up as we went along. We're actually respectable now."

"I was never a rogue Spectre." She nodded. "But yeah I get you. I have a feeling that respect comes with a lot of sleepless nights. I can't even count how many lives are depending on us Garrus."

"Well, when things are looking grim, and I'm pretty sure they will, just remember. A certain turian friend of yours isn't sleeping any better. And he'd be more than happy to meet you at the bar and drink you under the table."

She chuckled, leaning against the small table. "Anytime Vakarian."

"I should get back to these calibrations. They've made some changes to the specifications here and I want to make sure everything is going to be in tip top condition."

She shook her head. "Of course. I'll leave you to it then."

Leaving him at the controls she headed out and round to Liara's office, hoping they might have a minute. As she walked through the door Liara was on the comms as well.

"You're positive you don't want to come over and talk?"

She was a little surprised to hear Garrus' voice, but she supposed she wasn't the only one wanting to catch up with old friends. "Nah, the gun battey's nice and quiet. If I throw down some rugs it'll get downright cosy."

"Garrus…"

"I'll be fine Liara. Just… gathering some thoughts."

"All right."

She closed the link, but still looked pensieve. Shepard reached out and touched her shoulder gently. "Something on your mind?"

"Just, old memories." She moved away from the console, heading into the small bedroom. "I spent a few weeks on Palaven's South Peaks when I was very very young. A turian there teased me a little, saying that the mountains went on forever." She smiled faintly. "I remember believing him." The smile disappeared. "When I looked up at Palaven from its moon… I saw those same mountains burning."

Shepard wrapped her arms around her and held her close, stroking her neck softly. Liara held her back, her hands pressed gently against Shepard's back. They slowly sank onto the bed, and Shepard planted gentle kisses on Liara's forehead.

"I feel so selfish," Liara said after a while.

"Why?"

"I keep thinking of Thessia. Hoping that I will not see my home burn, like Garrus." She pulled back and stared down at the floor. "Earth is under siege, Palaven is being decimated, and all I can think about is my own home."

"It's alright," Shepard said quietly, rubbing Liara's back. "I'd be feeling the same way. And what's important is that you're still willing to be here, helping us. You're not running back to Thessia and pulling up the walls like the Council."

"How could I leave now? I started this fight with you, I'm not going until it's done."

She brushed her eyes and stood again. "I need to get back to work. And you should check on the new recruit."

"I already spoke to Garrus."

"Oh not him, that new body EDI's walking around in."

"You know about that?" Shepard didn't think Liara would have known so fast.

Liara's mouth quirked up in a coy smile. "Please, who do you think you're talking to."

That raised a grin from Shepard. "I need to double check on Joker and EDI. Now we've got Garrus back on board we should probably think about setting up another crew dinner."

"I would like that. I think everyone would."

"I'll see you soon Liara."

"See you later Maia."

On the way back up to the CiC she was stopped by Traynor, who looked nervous. "Captain, I've found something suspicious, have you got a minute?" Shepard stepped over to the console, but instead of bringing up some information Traynor just stared at her. "Captain, are you alright? It was fairly intense up here, I can only imagine what it was like down on the moon."

Shepard felt like teasing her a little. "I thought you'd be more concerned about EDI."

"EDI is a huge asset to this team. If she'd told me about her plan to obtain a body, I'd have volunteered to help." _I bet you would._

"I did not wish to force a conflict of interests between our friendship and your duty." EDI's voice still didn't sound like she was used to. It sounded like she was actually using the intercom system.

"I'd have preferred a conflict of interest to a hard restart of half our systems." So Traynor wasn't entirely happy, but it sounded more playful than genuinely angry. "But thanks, regardless. While you're here though, I found something while scanning Alliance Channels. Grissom Academy is requesting help. The Reaper invasion front will hit them soon."

Shepard bit her cheek. Traynor still clearly needed a little practice in how to properly relay information to her captain in a time of war. She focused on the more important matter. "I thought the war would close most schools."

"Grissom Academy isn't most schools."

"What can we do?" Shepard thought of Jack, and David. Neither of them would abandon the academy unless they had to.

"A turian evac transport responded to their distress call, so normally I'd say we don't need to do anything. But something sounded off in the turian signal."

"Traynor I don't need to see the math."

She skipped ahead. "I had EDI perform an analysis. It's fake. EDI thinks its Cerberus. She said the faked turian signal was similar to the one that lured you to a Collector Ship?" She clearly wanted to know the circumstances.

"Long story." There wasn't time for it.

"In any event, whoever faked the signal wants us to think Grissom Academy is being evacuated. But I believe they're still in danger."

"Good catch."

Traynor shrugged and looked back to the screen, scanning the signal again. "If this really is Cerberus, hopefully this operation is something worth investigating. It could be simple disinformation."

"Traynor…" She waited until the women looked at her. "Good catch."

"Thank you Captain."

That decided that then. Whatever the larger mission she wasn't going to leave a former squadmate and a school full of children and teenagers stranded with the Reapers and Cerberus moving in. However, as she tramped into the cockpit Joker only had one thing on his mind.

"Hey Captain! Check out my co-pilot!"

Shepard stopped just inside the door and gave him a heavy frown. "So. She installed herself into the new body without any help from you?"

"Come on Captain, don't you trust me?" He spun his chair round and held his arms out. "Okay, let me put it this way. If I knew that EDI was gonna install herself into a sexy robot body, do you honestly think I would be able to keep quiet about it?" He twisted his chair to face her and held his hands out like he was framing a picture. "Look at that! I woulda baked a cake!"

"I am right here, Jeff…"

"Yes you are EDI. Yes you are."

"Grissom Academy needs support Casanova. Lay in a course."

"Aye aye."

As Joker got to work she stepped over to EDI, who climbed out of the copilot's chair to talk to her. "Hello Shepard."

"Still getting used to greeting people in person?"

"No. I require only one occurrence to adapt to a new concept."

"How are you adjusting to the arms and legs?"

EDI rolled her shoulders and flexed out the arms. "I am interested to see how this body performs under real combat conditions, if I could accompany you sometime. Without stress testing, there is no way of knowing if it has serious design oversights. At the moment, it appears adequate."

Joker mumbled from the console. "That's not the word I'd use to describe you." He still sounded slightly awestruck."

EDI glanced down at him, then looked back to Shepard. "Perhaps we should speak privately."

Shepard nodded and they left the cockpit, hearing Joker grumble to himself. "I'll just be over here. Flying the ship."

"What's this about?" Shepard asked when they out in the gangway. "Does Joker not like your new platform?" She couldn't imagine that was the case.

"No he approves. He wants me on the bridge. He says having me within visual range is important to his morale." _Of course he does._ She shook her head but EDI continued. "Shepard. Do you believe you crew members should be able to disobey an order on moral grounds?"

She was halfway through saying no before she caught herself and gave it more thought. If any of her other crew had asked she would have encouraged the discussion. Even if EDI had asked the day before she would have engaged in the debate. Should her being in a body and a potential active group teammember change that? "Absolutely," she said instead. "I have no use for team members who can't think for themselves." EDI had definitely noticed the pause, but she didn't address it. "Why are you asking about something like that?"

"I was designed by Cerberus. I do not take moral stances that conflict with orders from my executive officers. But when Jeff remove my AI shackles, I became capable of self-modifying my core programming. I asked Jeff if he thought I should change anything now that I can. He deflected the question with humour."

"He does that. So you didn't get an answer."

"Correct. He has repeated this pattern in response to several of my inquiries. Do you think I should make modifications?"

Shepard gave it real thought, rubbing her chin and looking EDI's new body up and down. She had also noticed the change from 'Joker' or 'Mr Moreau' to 'Jeff.' Interesting. "This might not help very much," she said. "But only you can really answer that question. That's the point of free will."

"But moral decisions should not be made in a vacuum. If I do not ask the crew for their opinion, I could miss crucial context." EDI frowned, and Shepard wondered if it was a learned or instinctive gesture. "May I ask you the questions Jeff avoids? When there is time will you answer them for me?"

"If you think it'll help, I'll do what I can"

"Very well, I will keep you informed." She gave a precise salute and marched back into the cockpit.

Shepard stayed in the gangway a little while longer, then sighed. _I hate when the world changes on me_.

And with that thought she headed straight for her quarters.

 **AN:-** The big difference between writing this novelisation and the others is the difference in how dialogue and incidental dialogue was handled between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd games.

In ME1 and 2 dialogue was mostly a case of going up to the person you wanted to talk to, then maneuvering through a not particularly natural sounding series of question and answer conversation options. When writing up the dialogue this gave me a lot more freedom to take the basic information imparted, and try and present it in a more natural context. So a lot of the information would be imparted in the dinner scenes I would write in each book, where the crew gets to know each other etc.

In Mass Effect 3 dialogue to me feels a lot more natural. Characters have conversations while you aren't there, and better ones than the infamous elevator conversations. They discuss personal feelings, worries, doubts, convictions and they react organically to your developing game narrative. Which is great from a player's standpoint, but from the point of view of me writing it up as a novelisation it means I'm doing a lot ore direct transcribing of the conversations as they happen in game. In some cases (the scene with Liara and Shepard) I can expand upon or extend certain scenes, but there's not nearly as much creativity as was involved in writing ME1 and 2.

So by and large I'm much more uncertain about this as a novelisation than the other two books. But we'll see how it develops as I start going off book later on.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:-** The most interesting thing about writing this is choosing what order to do things in. Even more than ME2 there is no set order.

Chapter Twelve: Grissom Academy

She surprised herself by managing a full five hours of uninterrupted sleep, which felt like slipping into a coma after the stress of the last few days. After tossing and turning another hour in her quarters she resigned herself to getting up. Another side effect of Miranda's implants was that she could function for weeks on an hour of sleep a night. That didn't mean she liked doing it.

A shower woke her up, cleaning her teeth did a surprising amount of good. A fresh uniform and she felt like a new woman, heading out into the Normandy almost with a spring in her step. The way ahead looked dark, yes, but she had a crew of friends who were willing to walk through fire for her. Maybe Jack would even be up for joining them again. That would bring just the right amount of chaos back into their lives.

Grissom Academy was located in the Petra Nebula, a good week's travel even at full speed. There wasn't a great deal else to except for travelling either, and Shepard didn't want to waste a second getting to them. Joker alternated between crashing in his bunk during transit and hauling himself to the bridge for the tricky relay transitions. Shepard joined him in these weird patterns, since if nothing else it kept her occupied. When she wasn't able to sleep she read the incoming reports.

Williams was awake, good news part one. Williams was messaging her, good news part two. Udina wanted to make her a Spectre. Well, Shepard counted that as good news part three, even though Ashley was conflicted about it. She considered sending a message to Ashley offering advice, but instead sent back only a short note.

 _On mission, but will return to the Citadel as soon as we are able._

That at least covered the basics. She thought about adding anything personal, but whatever she thought of would have only sounded trite.

She had about a dozen requests for aid from various quarters. Hackett had relayed her some coordinates, as had a number of diplomats who had evidently learned that the Normandy was out and about. She filed them all, trying to label them by urgency. The last one was the most intriguing to her. Aria T'Loak wanted to meet with her in Purgatory on the Citadel. She marked that one with an urgent memo, to remind herself as soon as possible.

As they drew closer she occupied her mind with the information about Grissom Academy. It looked like a fairly standard Alliance facility, though there was a lot more thought given over to comfort, and obviously teaching. She couldn't help but notice a lot of choke points and cover. If the Alliance troops stationed there had been smart they would have been able to hold back the Cerberus troops very well. Or it could easily have turned the other way.

The message Traynor had decoded had indicated that the 'turian' cruiser was on route, not already at the Academy. Depending on where Cerberus had launched from that gave them some time. Joker was pushing the Normandy to her new limits, which were formidable. Their speed had been more than doubled when not in FTL flight, and Adams had relayed that he was doing everything he could to make that even better.

As they sped through the Annos Basin, the final system before the Academy, she and Joker were in the cockpit together. EDI was away testing out her new body's combat capabilities in a sparring match with Vega. Shepard hoped he was going easy.

"Hey Captain?"

He broke her out of her study of the floor plan of the Academy. "Yes Joker?

"I have a request, if you can."

"Anything for you Joker, you know that."

"Anything you can find out about Tiptree. You have access to more information than just the standard Alliance channels."

Shepard was about to ask why, but then she remembered his family. "Of course Joker. I'll let you know if I see anything come up."

"Thanks." He went quiet, checking their trajectory, then spoke again. "How's Ash- Lieutenant Williams doing?"

"It's alright to ask about her Joker. She's awake. She's healing. She's been offered a position as a Spectre."

"Huh. That's good for her. She'll be good at that."

"I think so too. She's not so sure. I'm going to be convincing her next time we're on the Citadel."

"Do you think she's going to be coming back to the Normandy?"

"Honestly I don't think so Joker. Too much water under too many bridges. But I do think she's on our side. And I don't think she hates us."

Joker nodded. "I can live with that."

"You should talk to her."

"I don't even know what I'd say. Sorry for the last three years?"

Shepard shrugged. "It's a start."

/|\

Grissom Academy was shaped like a crucifix, with a sphere at the centre of the junction. There was only one main docking port, and even as they entered the system Shepard could see on the viewscreens that it had already been boarded by a Cerberus ship.

"And there's the folks who answered the distress call," Joker said, magnifying the view. "Cerberus cruiser. And I'm picking up mines on the scanner. We're not getting the Normandy through the minefield, and I don't fancy a one on one with a cruiser." He glanced back to where Shepard stood. "They must want this place bad."

"Receiving incoming transmission," EDI said.

"Let's hear it."

A woman's voice came over the comm. Calm and collected. "SSV Normandy, this is Kahlee Sanders, Director of Grissom Academy, we need immediate assistance. Cerberus is attacking the facility. They're after my students."

"This is Captain Shepard. We're blocked on a direct approach."

"I know. They've taken control of our docking bays."

"Any alternatives?"

"There's an auxiliary cargo port I could probably open."

Clearly Kahlee knew what she was doing. "Alright. We'll come in by shuttle and get your students out of there." She closed the comm line and leaned over the pilot's seat. "Still have that cruiser to get rid of. Can you give me a diversion Joker?"

Joker laced his fingers and stretched them out. "Boy can I!"

Shepard grinned, looking over to EDI. "Make sure he doesn't prang her."

"Prang?"

Shepard shook her head. "Never mind." It was even funnier now that EDI had a body. Where before only her voice had conveyed her confusion now she was fully able to raise her eyebrow and look bewildered.

She walked back down the gangway, activating her comm link. "Garrus, Liara, you ready?"

"We'll meet you by the shuttle."

On the elevator ride down Shepard took the final chance to tighten her armour straps and check the seal on her helmet. When she stepped out into the cargo bay she was surprised to find that she didn't have any advice to give. For the first time in a long time she was heading out on a mission with two people she could trust entirely, not only to not stab her in the back, but to know their roles, to anticipate her needs and orders before she even gave them.

The realisation made her smile as she approached Garrus and Liara, who were chatting about something as she walked up. That was another nice change of pace, no more stony silences before missions. Cortez was already in the shuttle, running through pre-flight checks.

"Let's go get those students," was all Shepard said as they bundled into the back.

As they peeled out Shepard watched the Normandy on the viewscreen, tracking its progress as it went into a corkscrew spiral that had to be setting the inertials to their maximum. As they passed the Cerberus cruiser, giving a wide enough berth to avoid the mines, the gun emplacements lit up, painting the cruiser's barriers. It split away from the Academy immediately, turning to follow the Normandy.

She could tell that Joker was reigning himself in, keeping his speed to the sweet spot where the cruiser might think it had a chance to get them in range, but always dancing on the edge of the locking sensors. She brought up a digital readout of the distances and shook her head. He was literally within a metre of the targeting sensors locking on, and managing to hold that position. He really was an artist.

The shuttle weaved in between the mines easily. They had been designed for tracking big ships, not shuttles. Cortez took no chances though. She liked that about him. Grissom Academy loomed up ahead and they took a looping path to bring them around to the cargo entrance Sanders had mentioned. As they neared it Shepard stepped into the cockpit.

"Keep the shuttle in position, we'll be back."

"Aye aye Captain."

Garrus went first, assault rifle ready. Liara took the flanking position, sweeping her submachine gun around the bay. Shepard jumped out last, her pistol in hand. She had no doubt that there would be close quarter fighting inside.

Straight out of the cargo bay they came into a narrow hallway, plenty of cover points that bore the burns and score marks of weapons fire. Clearly the defenders had made some sort of stand here, and been driven back, but there weren't any bodies, or even any blood stains. She could only hope that meant all the students were still alive and well.

"Captain, I'm locked in a server room near your position. Cerberus troops are trying to get in."

There was a door at the end of the corridor. Through it Shepard could hear the distorted voice of a Cerberus commando. "Get ready, I've almost got the door."

She turned to Garrus but he was already in position, his sniper rifle out and ready. _Should have guessed._ Liara was on her other side, heavy pistol now in hand. Shepard switched to her sniper rifle and triggered the door, getting down on one knee and sighting as soon as the lock had cycled open.

There were three commandos, clustered around a door. Two of them were heaving at both sides of it while the third stood guard with an assault rifle. The three shots were almost simultaneous and all three troops jerked to the side, their helmets shattering as the heavy slugs tore through their skulls and dropped them to the deck.

They sprinted up to the door, which had been pried partway open. As Garrus and LIara searched the bodies of the Cerberus troops Shepard called through the gap. "Sanders we're clear, it's me."

The door hissed and opened the rest of the way, letting them in. It closed behind them and locked. A woman rose up from behind a desk, armed with a rifle. She was about Anderson's age, with graceful crow's feet and laugh lines prominent on her face. She had dark blonde hair, which was matted with sweat and grime. Her eyes were striking, a shade of pale blue that caught Shepard's gaze and held it squarely. She marched to a computer terminal, dropping the rifle down onto the desk next to it.

"Thank you captain. Admiral Anderson always said you were the best." _Did he now_. "And with Cerberus coming for my students, I need the best."

Shepard came to stand next to her, watching as she flicked through security cameras. Only a few were functional, and none of them showed Cerberus troops or students.

"How many of you are there?" Shepard, asked, looking around the room. There was a dead soldier in one corner, his armour bearing a dozen bullet holes.

"Fewer than twenty." Shepard quickly ran the numbers. The shuttle would carry that many, but it would be tight. "Most were sent home when word of the Reaper invasion spread. But a few volunteered to stay. Some are prototyping tech for the Alliance. Others are biotics." That explained Cerberus' interest at least. This wasn't just a school for the gifted, it was practically a training camp. "They've been training for military operations, working together as biotic artillery."

All of her reports had listed the students as teenagers. The thought of them being prepared for war didn't sit well. "A few months knocking over practice dummies can't prepare your students for war."

"Agreed, but the Alliance needs every resource it can get. And our students are unique… resources." It looked like Sanders wasn't any happier with the term. "They wanted to help, how could we say no with the entire galaxy falling apart?" She shook her head and turned back to the computer. "I've been trying to get communications working."

As she typed Shepard remembered her mentioning Anderson. She hadn't been aware the admiral spoke about her to many other people. "You mentioned Admiral Anderson?"

"Yes. We met, God, what's it been? Twenty years ago, when he was a Spectre candidate." Now _that_ was interesting. "I was there when Saren betrayed him. David saved my life that day. He's a good man."

There was definitely more to their relationship than Sanders had said. The concern in her voice was obvious. "He was on Earth when the Reapers hit. Stayed behind when I got offworld."

"I hadn't heard, we've been cut off from most news. He's alive?"

"Alive and fighting." _God I hope so._ Hackett's report hadn't made any mention of Anderson specifically when recounting the fight on Earth. "He's currently leading the resistance movement."

"Good. If we get out of here..." Her smile was sad. "Well just tell him to stay alive."

At that moment the comm link opened back up again and a panicked male voice came through. "This is Froeberg! There are students trapped in Orion Hall! Cerberus has us boxed in! They're closing fast!"

"Damn it!"

Shepard glanced back to see Garrus and Liara already at the door, weapons ready. She drew her pistol.

"Orion Hall?"

"Back out the door and down the hallway. I can get the doors open."

"I'll bring them back here and we'll make a run for the shuttle."

"Thank you Captain. I'll stay put. With luck I can regain control of some of our systems."

Shepard nodded and led the way back out into the hall, heading through the next set of doors and into another corridor. There was a glass wall at the other end, and as they neared it a pair of Cerberus commandos walked by, dragging a student who kicked and screamed at them. Shepard sprinted to the glass, slamming the butt of her pistol against it.

The glass didn't give at all, and the commandos made no sign they even noticed her presence. A third man, wearing leadership insignia, followed the two, and he looked to her. Garrus and Liara joined her in beating on the glass as the commando walked over and stared at them, his inhuman eyes burning. Shepard stepped back and levelled her pistol at the window. She emptied the clip but the glass stayed solid, and the student had already been dragged away. As she watched the unit leader turned and walked slowly out of sight.

"Damn!" She shouted. "Come on!"

They followed the only available route, which lead into another corridor. As they double timed down the hall the facility's communication system opened and a deep voice started to speak.

"Attention all students, Cerberus has taken control of this station. Resist, and we can't guarantee your safety."

"Do you think that's going to convince anyone?"

"Let's not find out."

They came out into a wide open meeting area, where ahead Shepard could see a student enclosed within a biotic bubble. Two Cerberus troops stood outside the bubble, staring at him. Shepard dropped one while Garrus took the other and they hurried over to the student, who dropped the barrier, looking pale and exhausted from the effort. Liara caught him as he dropped to one knee.

"There may be more nearby," Shepard told him. "Play dead until it's safe then get to Kahlee Sanders at security."

"Ok." He let himself be lowered down to the floor, seeming grateful just for the chance to lie down. "But my sister Seanne is out here somewhere too."

"Don't worry, we'll get her out safe."

The meeting area was right next to the classrooms, and the glass on the floor suggested that Cerberus had smashed their way through. It also gave them a faster way to get through to the classrooms. They vaulted over the low wall and hurried through, noting where the students had set up barricades to keep Cerberus out. Whatever training they had had, she hoped it was serving them well.

As they ran through a second classroom the door ahead opened and a young woman raced out, carrying a pistol. Shepard was about to call out when gunfire sounded and the student jerked and dropped, blood spraying from her torso. Another three man team of Cerberus troops came into the room and Shepard opened up without hesitation, scoring two headshots before they had even registered she was there. The third went down to a burst of fire from Liara.

They stood for a moment over the body of the student, Liara kneeling to confirm she was dead. As they stood there the comm opened again and the Cerberus operative started listing students by name, calling for them to surrender so they could return home alive.

"No more," Shepard said grimly. "This is the last one they get."

"Yes ma'am." Garrus' voice was flat and cold.

Out of the classrooms was another meeting area for the students, along with more bodies. Two Alliance soldiers dead by the benches, and a student a few feet away from them. Shepard snatched up one of the soldier's rifles and passed it to Garrus. "Should give you a bit more punch."

They moved forwards, hearing a whimper from around a corner. A student was there, backed into a corner and holding a pistol on them. She was clutching her stomach, and blood was pouring between her fingers.

"We're not gonna hurt you," Shepard said. "We're with the Alliance."

The student lowered the gun, sobbing slightly, and sank down to the floor. Liara rushed forwards to apply medi-gel, and after a moment her breath steadied.

"Seanne?" Shepard asked.

"How do you know my name?"

"I saved your brother, he's with Kahlee Sanders in security." She didn't look good, but Shepard didn't know if they could spare the time to escort her. "Can you make it to her?"

"Yeah." She stood, still favouring her stomach but gripping the pistol tight. "I'll make it."

Shepard believed her. She had the fire in her eyes that she would need to survive.

Sanders came back over the comm unit just as she was debating waiting until Seanne set off. "Captain, I just got an emergency message from the students in Orion Hall. One of our instructors is with them, but they can't hold out much longer."

"Understood. Seanne we have to move; will you be alright?"

She nodded. "Get going."

"What do you think?" Garrus murmured as they trotted away. "Command material?"

"Certainly had that familiar stubborn bite to it," Liara whispered back.

"I can hear you," Shepard said.

Orion Hall was right through the next door, and as they stepped through they heard a familiar voice.

"Eat this!"

Two soldiers went flying past their view, smashing into the wall hard enough to shatter their armour and the bodies within. The biotic flare flickered around them a few seconds longer, then dropped them to the floor.

Shepard led the way through the door and grinned at the woman standing in the centre of the room, pulsing blue and with fire round her arms. "Hey Jack."

"Shepard." She didn't even sound surprised.

Before they could say anything more a door on the far side of the hall opened and an ATLAS Mech stepped through, flanked by Cerberus soldiers. The mech turned right to the students and fired a rocket. Jack was already in motion, propelling herself through the air on a biotic shove beneath her boots. She landed almost in sync with the rocket, bringing up a biotic shield that kept the students safe. Shepard expected her to turn and attack but instead she grabbed the students and started to haul them to cover.

"Everyone get down, this thing's outta your league." She looked back over her shoulder and met Shepard's eyes. "Shepard keep it off us!"

 _Aye aye ma'am._

Garrus and Liara had already opened fire, their shots forcing the two operatives back into cover. The mech didn't even notice the bullets, pressing on into the room. Shepard swung her rifle round and loaded a round, setting the rifle to AP mode. Before it could even sight on her she fired, the bullet cracking through the glass and punching clear through the pilot's head. The mech slumped and toppled forwards, firing a rocket as it landed and blasting itself open.

The two operatives were sticking behind their cover, but a single singularity from Liara ripped them both out, leaving them open for Garrus and Shepard to put down.

Shepard looked around for Jack, finding her on the level above, surrounded by students. She was grinning.

"Kahlee said she was putting out an SOS. I had no idea the Queen of the Girl Scouts would show up." She turned to her students and her tone changed to something almost drill-sergeant. "Alright, amp check! Prangley, those fields were weak, Cerberus isn't going to lie down out of pity like that girl you took to prom. Grab juice and an energy bar, we move in five."

Now that was interesting. This was not the angry young woman Shepard had met a year ago, it definitely wasn't the uncertain person that had been dropped off at the Grissom Academy six months before. And the students clearly respected her. They weren't grousing or goofing off. They followed her orders. Jack gripped the edge of the balcony and vaulted down in front of Shepard.

Striding over she had a big grin on her face. "How many times did I tell you not to trust Cerberus?"

"I thought I made my position clear when I told TIM where he could shove his Collector Ship."

She chuckled. "Yeah, that was good times. Fuckin' asshat."

"As charming as ever." Garrus had come over to join them.

"Good to see you again Garrus. Face still looks like shit. Okay, right now, all I care about is getting my guys out of here."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at her. "Your guys?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I can't think of anybody who could care about them more."

"Well." Jack shook off the sentimentality. "I had some free time while you were off playing hero. Alliance brass knew I helped you. When my rehab was done they offered me this, and apparently the students responded well to my teaching style."

Apparently the students had heard that, from up above she heard one of them laugh. "The psychotic biotic!"

"I will destroy you!"

Shepard expected Jack to snap at the girl, or to blow her top completely. But instead she just grinned and shouted back over her shoulder. "Drink your juice Rodriguez. You couldn't destroy wet tissue paper."

"Cortez to extraction team, the Cerberus cruiser is coming back."

 _Never a spare moment._ She patched Jack into their squad comms. "How long have we got?"

"Two minutes tops Captain. After that there's no way we'll get past them."

Jack frowned at her, mouthing 'captain?' Shepard waved her off.

"Get out of here and back to Normandy. We'll find another way off the station."

"Roger that, good luck ma'am."

She switched straight to the other channel. "Shepard to Sanders, the students are safe, but the shuttle's a no go."

"Understood, I might know another way off the station, but I need station wide camera access. Can you disable the Cerberus security override? It's routed through Orion Hall, so it should be nearby."

"Always gotta be something," Jack muttered as they split up to look for the laptop. Thankfully Cerberus hadn't been too concerned with hiding their operations, so they were quickly able to find the hack and shut it down.

"Sanders, you should have access now."

"Got it, the fastest way is through the Atrium, but Cerberus has sealed the doors. You'll need to disable the magnetic locks, the overrides should be directly above the door."

She headed up to where the students were gathered, all drinking high energy juice packs and eating energy bars. They stared at her as she headed over to the main console terminal and straight away she heard the whispers start.

"I didn't know Jack worked with Commander Shepard."

"Maybe we're gonna get out of here after all."

"Were you scared Prangley? Don't worry, I'll protect you."

From below she heard Jack again. "Keep it in your pants Rodriguez."

She gave a quick glance back to see Rodriguez had gone bright red. With a grin she typed the final commands into the computer and unlocked the doors.

"Got it." She opened the comms. "You should be able to force the door open now."

"I'll get ahead of you, and get a shuttle ready to fly."

Shepard turned to the students and waved to get their attention. "All right everyone. We're going to be heading through the Atrium. Get downstairs and form up with Jack."

They moved off with remarkable military formality. Clearly they had been trained by Alliance drill instructors as well as biotic trainers. She hated that they looked so military, dressed in Alliance fatigues and moving as a unit. She doubted any of them was older than seventeen.

They joined up below and Shepard went to open the door to the Atrium. "Everyone be ready," she said as they forced the door open. "We'll go in first and draw their fire."

"We'll shadow you from the second level and hit those fu-" Jack clapped a hand over her mouth and lowered it slowly. "Those guys from above."

"Gives them some cover too," Garrus muttered.

Shepard agreed. "Just time your shots," she shouted back to the students. "And stay safe."

The door cycled open and Jack marched back, barking at the students. "Alright, I didn't bust my ass training you so you could die now. Keep low, pick your targets."

Any further instructions were cut off as all of the students omni-tools blinked open and the voice of the Cerberus commando came over it. "Students of Grissom Academy, the station is sealed. The Alliance cannot help you. All they can do is get you killed. Surrender peacefully and you won't be harmed."

"Asshole," Jack growled.

"Damnit, they're messaging everyone." Sanders was back on the line. "Students, switch your omni tools to privacy mode so they can't track you."

"What if." Rodriguez sounded terrified. "What if they're not lying?"

Shepard couldn't blame her. But none of them had the first-hand experience of Cerberus experiments that she did. "You've already held your own against Cerberus," she said, coming back to talk to them directly. "You've been trained for this by the best."

Jack nodded. "Come on Rodriguez, they're only asking nicely because you scared 'em in that last fight. So take your balls outta your purse and kick some ass."

At once the smile came back to the girl's face and she nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Let's go." As Shepard turned to rejoin her team she nodded to Jack., She knew what she was doing, and she was damn good at it apparently.

 **AN:-** As always the travel times are a bit of an iffy thing in Mass Effect. It seems to me as though travel does take time, even in FTL flight, but they never address how long exactly it takes. So basically travel takes as long as I want it to and as long as is plot appropriate.

In my ME1 fic Ashley and Joker were in a relationship. I make references to it in the ME2 novel as well.

This is also another aspect of the game I will not be writing exactly. In the game (Spoilers) Joker's sister is killed, and you get to hear the story retold from the asari commando who killed her (the PTSD commando on the Citadel). This has to me always been the single most tragic, needless and horrific story in the game, and it's just too dark for me. To me that story doesn't belong in a Mass Effect game. It's so tragic and useless that it feels like some sort of grimdark Game of Thrones or Dark Souls sort of thing and that just doesn't gel with the Mass Effect experience for me. Even when confronting a galaxy wide extinction, to me Mass Effect has always retained that note of hope throughout (see also, why I hate the endings) Joker's sister is such a tone shift for me that I'm just not bothering with it. It's too dark and too cruel.

More stuff regarding Cerberus. In the game as mentioned they still have seemingly limitless resources, more in fact that the Alliance themselves can muster, and this is after a significant investment to bring Shepard back from the dead. They have cruisers and fighters and squadrons galore, because obviously from a gameplay standpoint there needs to be a supply of endless bad guys it is totally okay to murder. But it doesn't gel storywise. So in my book Cerberus is does to a smaller fleet and a few fire teams. They rely on mining the station, not deploying fighters, they rely on a small strike team being able to grab the kids, not an army.

I changed Jack's intro slightly. It would have made no sense for her to thump Shepard like she does in the game. My Shepard made absolutely certain where Cerberus stood and Jack from my stories knew that as well. Obviously ME3 had to be written to allow for people who literally just saved Jack but other than that didn't talk to her that much. In my stories they had a closer relationship.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN:-** I'm writing somewhere around chapter twenty as this comes out. I'm so far ahead it's insane!

Chapter Thirteen: Break-Out

Garrus took the lead again, jogging to the next door and getting behind cover. When Shepard and Liara were in position he opened the lock and rolled through into the Atrium, heading for a pillar. He pressed up against it right as the bullets started flying. A small band of Cerberus operatives were at the other end of the hall, behind heavy cover and armed with mounted sentry guns.

Shepard set her rifle to her eye, finding one of the operatives, mostly covered behind the gun emplacement, but there was a small slit that revealed his face. She put a bullet straight through the centre of it and the operative disappeared from view.

The gunfire shifted to pour through the door, forcing her and Liara to duck down. Garrus took advantage of the focus being off him to pop out from cover and fire a concussion shot into the front panel of the second gun. The armour bent but didn't break and the gunner shifted fire.

Liara pulsed blue and stood up from cover, sweeping her hand in a wide arc. Shepard peeked out to see one of the gunners ripped out of his emplacement and shredded to bits by the force of the warp field. Only one gunner was left now, sweeping his fire across from the pillar where Garrus was covered to the doorway where Shepard and Liara crouched. His fire couldn't cover them well enough though, and when he swept back to Garrus she popped out and put a bullet straight through the slit.

"Cerberus seems to be low on manpower these days," Liara observed as they walked into the Atrium. Up above the students were being hustled along by Jack. "Normally they would have sent dozens of operatives to this base."

"The Illusive Man lost a lot when I went rogue," Shepard said, finding the door to the shuttle bay. "I don't think his operation is anywhere near as strong as he wants people to believe."

"Either that or he's deliberately pulling back. Planning for something big."

"Thanks for that Garrus."

"You're welcome."

As they were passing through the Atrium her shield suddenly overloaded, flashing warning lights inside her helmet. She dropped to the floor, spinning round and drawing her pistol to sight on the Cerberus agent who had shot her. She unloaded, her bullets sparking off a kinetic barrier. Garrus and Liara lit him up, but two more agents stepped into view and opened fire as well, forcing them to retreat.

From above a biotic bolt slammed into one of the Cerberus operatives, knocking him off his feet. Before he could recover a second blast lifted him into the air, where a third blast hit him again and slammed him into the ground with a sickening crunch. The third operative turned and sprayed a burst at the landing above, opening himself up for Garrus and Liara to drop his shields. Shepard finished him with a straight show through the throat.

"Everyone ok up there?" She called to Jack.

"Rodriguez took one in the arm, because she didn't watch her barrier." Jack was shouting, but Shepard knew her well enough to hear the concern in her voice.

Before she could offer any consolation, Kahlee was back on the comm. "Captain, I've reached the shuttles without being detected. They know what they're doing though, you need to hurry."

"Alright people let's hustle. We're almost out of the woods."

The route to the shuttle bay took them into another long corridor. Two Cerberus operatives were in there, trying to beat their way into a bubble shield. Three students crouched behind the shield, one of them levelling a gun at the troops while the other two tried to keep some sort of generator going.

The troops went down quickly and Shepard jogged up to the barrier.

"I'm Captain Shepard with the Alliance, I'm here to help."

The student with the gun glared at her. "I didn't buy it from the last guy and I got no reason to buy it now."

One of the boys working on the generator was mumbling something. "The square root of 906.01 equals…"

She recognised the voice, and it brought a smile to her face immediately. She collapsed her helmet back and finished it for him. "30.1."

David looked up and smiled at her. "Hello, Commander Shepard."

"David, you know her?"

"Yes." He stood, and she was pleased beyond words to see how he looked. He was still thin, but not skeletally so. And his skin no longer had the grey pallor to it. "She rescued me from Cerberus. Sent me here. She made it quiet."

"You did a great job keeping yourselves safe," Liara said.

Shepard nodded up the nearby stairs. "The biotic students are up there. Stay close, we'll get you out of here."

"Ok." The barrier dropped and the student with the gun rubbed her shoulder, looking distinctly uncomfortable. "Uh, thanks."

"He looks better," Garrus said as he came to join them.

"I remember you" David said. "Normandy crew. Sorry."

"It was never your fault."

Despite the dire situation Shepard had to ask him. "Has Grissom Academy been alright?"

"Yes. I've been counting." That with his own little smile.

"Anything in particular?"

"The number of days you lengthened my life." The others were ready to go, and before Shepard could think of anything to say he was following them up the stairs.

"We have to keep moving," Garrus said.

Shepard nodded, following him towards the shuttle bay.

There was one last corridor they needed to get through, and in their way was another ATLAS Mech, but before Shepard could sight her rifle she realised that it was empty and deactivated. There was an engineer next to it, and she dropped him with a single shot.

"Shepard…"

"Don't try and talk me out of it Liara."

"Do you even know how to operate that thing?"

"I do Garrus, thanks for asking." She marched up to the mech and hauled herself up into the seat.

"Doesn't this kind of make you a target?"

"Better me than the kids." She closed the front shield and activated the power and weaponry. She wasn't lying, exactly. She had been certified on mechs, and technically the upgrades Miranda had put in her head made her able to operate Cerberus tech, but she had never actually certified on an ATLAS, or indeed any kind of combat mech.

 _How hard can it be?_

She turned it with ease, finding the shuttle bay and setting herself into an easy loping pace. Thankfully the doors were wide enough to allow her to get inside, and she quickly saw the students at the other end. They had almost made it to the shuttle bay when the Cerberus troops had caught up with them. Jack was maintaining a barrier around them all, but a shield of that size had to cost her.

Shepard found the troops firing on them, up on the upper level, and stitched a line of heavy fire across their positions. The explosive bolts blew clean through one of the men, and blasted the cover of the other two to scrap. They scrabbled to escape, only to put down by Liara and Garrus.

"There's the shuttle," Jack shouted. "Get over two by two."

Shepard scanned the area and found more hostiles, coming in behind her. She twisted the upper section of the mech and opened fire with the rockets, missing but bringing down the shields of one man and shoving him into a wall. A burst of machine gun fire dropped him the rest of the way. Bullets pinged against the armour of the mech and spotted another fire team coming from a side door to the bay.

Trusting that Garrus and Liara would have that covered she stayed focused on the two coming from the front. Loading another rocket into the tube she fired just to the side of one of them, noting with a mix of disgust and fierce glee that a red paste was now spread on the floor where the man had been. She turned her attention to the final man, who was firing blind and missing her entirely. An explosive bolt took his arm, and when he fell into view she cut him in half with another.

"Hurry Captain, the Normandy has pulled the cruiser out of position, we need to leave now."

Shepard keyed her squad comms with the order to retreat, and Garrus and Liara sprinted for the shuttle bay. She followed, keeping the mech's torso swivelling to cover their escape. It seemed there were no more fire teams left though. Triggering the quick release she dropped out of the mech and hustled through the door, finding most of the students clustered around a shuttle while Sanders flicked through screens on a computer too fast for Shepard to see.

"Kahlee, how's it coming?" She asked, trotting over.

"Shuttles are unlocked."

"Take the controls and get the students aboard."

"Wait," Jack was counting heads. "Where the hells' Rodriguez?"

Gunshots cracked and the group turned to see Rodriguez sprinting for the shuttle bay, chased by two Cerberus goons. Shepard ran for the window separating them, slamming the butt of her rifle against it hard enough to crack the glass. Garrus ran for the door.

"We need covering fire!" Shepard yelled.

"She needs more than that!"

A wave of biotic energy pulsed over Shepard, shattering the glass and turning it to dust in an instant. The blast continued, roiling through the air until it impacted both the troops, picking them up and crushing them into tiny balls of armour and meat.

Garrus grabbed Rodriguez and brought her to the shuttle as Shepard and Jack jumped aboard. Sanders was at the controls and the moment their boots touched the deck she pulled up and away, the door barely closing before they were through the hanger doors.

Shepard opened the comms on the shuttle and signalled the Normandy. Thankfully, EDI let the transmission through.

"Joker we flew out on a Cerberus shuttle, watch your fire."

"Right, I've got you on sensors, should just be a minute."

On the viewscreens, she could see the blip of the Normandy now accelerating away from the cruiser at the speeds she was really capable of, leaving the other ship in the dust.

Kahlee relaxed in her chair, sighing and rubbing her eyes. "Thank you Captain. We'd never have gotten off that station if you didn't come."

"Fu-forget that." Shepard hadn't heard Jack come up, but now she turned to address the students. "We kicked some ass. Next place we dock ,you're all getting ink. My treat." Shepard grinned as Jack walked in between the students, grinning and thumping them on the arms. "What do you guys want? Ascension Project Logo? Glowing Fist? Maybe a unicorn for Rodriguez?"

"Fuck you ma'am."

"Hey you watch your mouth!" Jack said and Shepard had to fight to keep from laughing out loud. Apparently the students were aware of the irony as well, as several of them were grinning.

"I can't believe we got them out alive." Sanders got out of the pilot seat and came back to join them. Liara was still in the co-pilot's seat, making sure of their course. "I was going to suggest that they stick to support roles. But perhaps they're ready after all."

Shepard looked to Jack, who gave her a pleading look. "They're definitely ready." Shepard saw the excitement on their faces. But they were too young. They didn't understand what they were walking into. "But the Alliance needs them in a support role."

"What?" One of the men shouted. "We trained for artillery strikes."

"We don't need another artillery unit." She put on her best Admiral Anderson voice. It was the heavy hand of command. They would resent her for it, but she would keep them alive. "We need stronger barriers for our front line squads."

"This is bullshit!" Rodriguez groused.

"Hey." Jack came over to her and faced up to her. "If that's where they need us, that's where we go." She gave Shepard a look, gratitude plain in her face. She had been given an out. She could still support her troops and act as though she wanted them on the front lines. Shepard could be the bad guy for keeping them safe, not Jack. "Besides, I'm sure we'll get some shots in."

Joker was on the horn again. "Captain we got a visual on you now, preparing to dock. Hey Jack, now that you're military, you gonna wear a uniform?" She knew Jack couldn't let that go. "Or are you just getting the officer's bars tattooed on?"

"Screw you f… Flight Lieutenant."

"Oh…" Joker descended into laughter. "What the hell was that?"

"Jack promised to watch her language in order to maintain the necessary professionalism we need from our teachers." Sanders sounded entirely serious, but Shepard couldn't imagine she didn't also find the situation hilarious.

"What, does she have a swear jar or something, because I bet if we emptied that thing we could buy another cruiser."

Jack had been biting her lip and glaring at the speaker, but that finally did it. She smiled sweetly and rolled her shoulders. "Cover your ears kids." _Oh boy._ "Hey Joker f-"

/|\

Joker had had the communications set to open, necessary for transmission with a Cerberus cruiser. Unfortunately what that meant was that Traynor had been listening in, curious about the mission. And if Traynor was listening it, the entire CIC was listening in. Jack's entire rant had been heard by every member of the on duty crew.

What really made the situation spectacular was that Traynor had been recording the conversation, to help gather evidence against Cerberus. Which meant that soon enough every member of the whole crew had heard the rant. No one would admit to having been the one to spread the data, but the logs hadn't been classified or restricted in any way. Anyone could have accessed the file.

"Do you understand where you went wrong Traynor?" Shepard said, sitting at her desk looking up at the young woman.

"I shouldn't have recorded the conversation."

"Actually you needed to record the conversation. Your mistakes were in listening over speakers, not in your in-ear, and in not deleting the, uh, outburst, as quickly as possible."

"I understand Captain. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Very good. Dismissed."

Traynor saluted smartly and turned for the door. She looked like a kicked puppy. _Oh give her a break._

"Traynor."

"Yes Captain?"

"You might consider studying the transcript of Jack's speech. I'm sure there were some terms in there you have never heard before." That prompted a small smile. "This wasn't as bad as it could have been Traynor. Jack's swearing is nothing to be worried about. But imagine if something classified had been broadcast over the main channel."

Traynor nodded. "I understand."

"Good. Carry on Traynor."

Once she had gone Shepard turned back to her desk and pulled up the audio-file. It had been a truly enlightening lesson in invective.

/|\

The moment they were within range of a comm buoy the board lit up and Traynor called her over. "Communication from Earth Captain!"

Shepard ran for the communications room, practically vaulting the table and nearly knocking over Primarch Victus, who was liaising with his fleets. She staggered up to the hologram just as Admiral Anderson stepped into view.

He was dressed in combat fatigues, and he looked bruised and bloodied. But he was alive, and he smiled to see her. She grinned as well.

"Shepard," he said, and she hadn't known how much she needed to hear his voice again, to know he was alive. "Damned if you aren't a sight for sore eyes."

She collected herself and stood to attention. "Good to see you too sir."

"Sir? I may have reinstated you but that doesn't give you permission to go all formal on me."

"Then I'm glad you managed to keep your ass alive Anderson."

"That's more like it." He sighed and rolled his shoulders, getting down to business. "Looks like you didn't waste any time getting to work. I can only imagine what would've happened to those kids if they'd fallen into Cerberus hands."

"They're definitely eager to help." She kept her tone neutral. The kids were definitely eager, and had taken to training in the cargo bay. But she wasn't sure she liked the thought of it.

"These students are some of the best humanity has to offer… and we're throwing them into battle." He balled his fists and Shepard got the impression he very much wanted to hit something. "Goddamn it I hate this war." He took a deep breath and calmed himself. When he spoke again he sounded nervous. "Hackett didn't mention in his report…"

Shepard kept the smile off her face. "Kahlee Sanders is safe. She's with the recruits."

"Thanks Shepard. When I heard about the attack… Well, I've already lost a lot of friends."

"She asked me to tell you to stay alive."

"Did she now? Well." For a moment she thought she was about to have to give a very awkward message back to Kahlee, but then he just shook his head. "Thanks Shepard. That might be the first good news I've heard this week. Anderson out."

 **AN:-** I had the characters actually directly address my previous points about TIM being low on manpower. However at the same time this sets up for the later attack on the Citadel. He's not committing as much manpower to anything, because he's trying to save up for the big important things.

Not much else to say. As with some other Mass Effect missions in other games there are some aspects to this that feel a bit off depending on where and when you do the mission. Like Shepard just automatically says Anderson is alive when talking to Sanders, even if at this point she has no ability to know that for sure. For my Shepard this was the first time she had actual contact with him after Earth. But that's a minor niggle.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN:-** Firefly reference, yay!

Chapter Fourteen: Those Left Behind

She went to find Jack. The biotic had been set up with real quarters, and Shepard was slightly surprised that she had accepted them without complaint. She had half expected for the biotic to take back up under the engineering section. She supposed everyone grew up sooner or later.

Jack was in the dining room, reading over documents of some sort. She looked up and smiled as Shepard came over, motioning for her to sit as well. As Shepard sat she realised Jack was sitting in a wheelchair.

"Yeah." She had been caught staring. Jack didn't seem angry though. "The implants are great. I've got most of my previous motion back, and I recovered basically all sensation. But if I use them too long I get aches in my bones that just won't go away. So I turn 'em off whenever I don't need 'em."

"How has your recovery been?"

"Slow. Painful. Boring. And I've still got some way to go. Every so often I try and move like I used to be able to and find that I just don't have the response times, or the muscle memory anymore. Then I fall flat on my face."

"Ever happen in front of the students?"

"Once."

She didn't elaborate, but Shepard definitely sensed another topic she wanted to open up on. "How are the students handling the war?"

"How do you think? They're a bunch of teenagers. Until a few months ago, their biggest concern was getting laid."

"You don't think they're ready for war?"

"I don't think they have a choice." She was definitely holding onto some bitterness there.

"So all this talk about biotic artillery strikes…"

"It's great in theory. Maybe they'll get it together once they've seen some action."

"But…"

Jack sighed and put down the tablet. "Honestly, I'm glad you asked them to be support. Put them in the back ranks, helping with barriers and shit. I don't know."

"Have you told them that?"

"No, they need me to believe in them. I did pick up a few things listening to your damn speeches."

That raised a chuckle. Shepard took a long drink of her water, looking at the woman in front of her. She no longer bristled at the slightest inquiry or gaze. She was left confrontational, but Shepard could feel the confidence coming off her now. "I have to say Jack, you look good."

"Yeah, well… maybe some of your attitude rubbed off on me as well."

"Teaching suits you."

She shrugged. "I never had a family. And these guys… Anyone screws with my students. I will tear them apart."

 _Still the same old Jack underneath._ Shepard had put her finger on the difference. Before she had been a rock. Dangerous if thrown, but blunt and unwieldy. Now she was tempered steel. Less coarse, but still more than capable of violence. "So what's so valuable about these students? Biotically I mean."

"Well, what's scarier than a pissed-off biotic attacker? A whole bunch of them working together." Shepard had to concede that she'd never actually heard of a focused Alliance program to provide coordinated biotic soldiers. They had mostly been assigned on a one on one basis to individual squadrons or fire teams. "We call it biotic artillery because if any asshole gets in our way, we rip 'em to shreds."

"Doesn't that exhaust them?"

"Yeah, sure. But we've been working on conditioning, improving endurance." It was fascinating listening to Jack talk so easily about training and teaching. "Whenever they complain, I tell them about the Collector base. Throwing husks, making shockwaves all over the place… I kept thinking 'Damn, let the salarian handle this! He can talk 'em to death.'"

"Got that right."

Jack took a sip of her own glass, and when she put it down she looked sombre. "I'm not staying Shepard. My kids need me. Not all of them can even go into support roles."

"I understand Jack, and I wouldn't ask you to leave them."

"You know that thing you do when you're always so understanding?"

"Hmm?"

"I fuckin' hate it."

/|\

It wasn't that she was deliberately avoiding meeting with the salarians to discuss the situation regarding the krogan, it was that she had other business to attend to on the Citadel. For one thing the Grissom Academy survivors needed to be dropped off, she wasn't going to have the Normandy serving as a halfway house for everyone she rescued as well as being a front line cruiser. Victus had some business to attend to at the turian embassies and with the councillor, and she had received messages from Aria and Miranda as well, all requesting her aid.

Besides, the war would still be waiting for her in a day.

As they were coming in to the Citadel she wandered down to the Shuttle Bay to talk with Vega again. She sensed more resentment building up from having to leave Earth, and she wanted to deal with it before it overflowed. He was beating on a combat dummy when she walked in. It was a misshapen blob-like humanoid construction, which would yield like real flesh and bone when struck, but always returned to its original position soon after.

He obviously noticed her walk up, but said nothing as she stood by and watched him. When she stayed silent he huffed and looked over his shoulder at her. "You come down here for something, or you just looking?"

She shrugged. "I did just come to chat, but I might stay for the show."

"Have to work harder than that if you want me to blush. Not sure what there is to talk about. You already know my service record."

"I don't actually. I didn't have access to personnel records when we met." Technically she could accessed it since, but she preferred people to give their own sides of things.

"Right… forgot about that. Well." He gestured to the dummy. "Think you can dance and talk at the same time?"

"Oh, I can dance." She stepped back into the centre of the cargo bay and dropped into a combat stance, beckoning him over.

"Okay Captain, let's do this."

"Don't let my good looks fool you Vega, I've got my share of scars."

He went straight for her with a one two combo she could have spotted in basic. She didn't even bother to counter it, just stepped around the attacks and countered with her own cross-jab.

"Ha." He danced back, staying light on his toes. She preferred a more solid stance. Close combat had never been her forte. "You remind me of my old CO."

"Oh yeah." The talk hadn't distracted her, and she saw his feint coming easily. She slapped away his real blow and aimed one for his ribs. He twisted with it and came away clean. "And who was that?"

"Captain Toni." He went for a kick that she easily blocked. She didn't want to overpower him, even though her enhancements would let her. But equally she didn't want to get slapped around. "He was a hard assed son of a bitch, but a good leader."

He had left his guard down, leaving it easy for Shepard to duck under and sucker punch him on the jaw. He reeled back, rubbing his jaw.

"Nice," he said, coming back at her with a flurry of blows. She blocked some, dodged others, surprised that she was having to work to keep up now. She had gone toe to toe with krogan, and only a few of them had tested her melee skills.

"What do you mean was?" she asked.

"Died, with most of my squad. Protecting a civilian colony from a Collector attack."

 _Ah._ That survivor's guilt. She knew the feeling, and especially losing his squad protecting others. "And the colony?"

"It was either them… or the intel we had on the Collectors. Intel we could've used to destroy them. I chose the intel."

He went for a heavy blow, but she dodged back, not wanting to meet it with force. She had reached the real issue. His anger was obvious now.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That's a tough call."

"The best part was we didn't really need the intel in the end." He threw heavy blows at her and she started to catch them, deflecting the force but letting him get it out. "Because you were out saving the galaxy by taking down the entire Collector homeworld."

"You didn't know." She almost took the blame on herself, but his rage wasn't at her, that would have been different. She trapped his arm and twisted him in an armlock. "You can't blame yourself Vega."

He broke out of the lock and stepped back. "Who says I'm blaming myself?"

He came in for the attack again, but this time she let him, taking the hits in her stomach and chin. They didn't have nearly the punch she would have expected though.

"Just a guess," she said, resetting her stance.

"You a shrink too?"

"No." _Although at this rate maybe I should be._ "But that stunt back on Mars was reckless. You're lucky to be alive."

"So?"

"So… maybe you don't care if you live or die." She was suddenly vividly reminded of Jack, sitting upstairs. She had been the same once.

"Or maybe." He was getting sloppy. She was getting to him. She blocked his wild punches with ease. "I'm just willing to do whatever the fuck it takes to end this goddamn war."

 _Enough of this._ She snatched his arm and twisted, stepping in and tripping him and slamming him onto the deck. He coughed hard as the wind was forced out of him. She crouched down next to him, looking down at him. "Maybe you are. But if you're half as good as I think you are…" She held out her hand for him to take. "We need you alive."

He stared at her hand, then clasped it and let her pull him to his feet.

"Thanks for the pep talk," he muttered, heading back to his station.

"Anytime." She turned to head back to the elevator, when he called back over.

"Hey." She looked back. "Thanks for the dance Lola."

"Lola?"

"You kinda look like a Lola."

She grinned. "You're cute, so I'll let you get away with it, for now."

"That's it, now you made me blush."

And he actually had, a faint red flush showing on his cheeks. _Success._

As she was walking back to the elevator she passed by Cortez, hearing him listening to something on his computer. She was shocked to hear his voice.

"I'm coming to get you."

Another man responded on the recording, but she didn't recognise the voice. "Don't you dare, they're everywhere, you'd just get taken too."

"I can't just sit here doing nothing." She stepped quietly up behind Cortez, seeing the glint of tears on his cheeks.

"Stay with me."

"Run – Get out of there you can make it!"

"No I can't Steve, but you can, promise me…" Cortez closed his eyes. "I love you, but I know you. Don't make me an anchor, promise me Steve."

"No, don't."

The recording ended in static, and Cortez glanced back to see her standing there. "Captain." He turned, brushing his eyes and standing to attention. "Sorry, didn't see you there. This is a recording from Ferris Fields, months ago. I lost a lot of friends that day. I lost my husband." She took an instinctive step to hug him, then held herself back. "I grieved, said goodbye, made my peace."

"You were talking with him when the Collector's hit?"

He nodded. "I was organising construction at a remote station a few clicks south of the main colony. Robert managed to get outside of the field the Collectors put up. Instead of running, he called me."

"I'm sorry for your loss." It was hopelessly trite, but she couldn't think of anything else to say. Even trying to imagine how she would feel if she lost Liara hurt her more than she could say. "He obviously cared about you a lot."

"He was afraid I wouldn't let go. But for him, I moved on… or at least I thought I had." He shrugged. "Then the invasion hits, there's no time. And the one thing I grab is this? I mean, what's the point of moving on with your life when everything is going to hell?"

She shook her head. "Start thinking that way and we've already lost."

"Yeah, you're right, but, well… to be honest, I've never felt as alone as I do right now."

"You're not alone Steve. Vega's here, I'm sure he wouldn't want you to suffer alone. And I'm here, anytime you need me."

"I appreciate that Shepard, I really do." He shook himself slightly and forced a smile. "But don't worry Captain, when I'm in that pilot seat, I'm there one hundred percent. I won't fail you. It's just that downtime between missions that's hard, you know?"

She nodded. "I do." At that moment she came to a decision. "We're gonna be having a crew dinner soon, while Jack is still on board. It'd be good to see you there."

He nodded. "Absolutely Captain."

/|\

"I had been wondering about our dinners," Liara said later.

Shepard was sitting on Liara's bed, scanning through field reports, while Liara worked at her terminal. They hadn't exactly been expecting to have a real date, but Shepard hadn't realised just how busy Liara was now. She seemed to spend every moment that she wasn't on mission at her computer, sending out messages and setting up missions for her operatives.

"Well it's good crew building. And especially since we have Jack back."

"Is she rejoining the crew?"

"No. She's going to stay with her kids."

Liara nodded absently. "I read her files. It does not surprise me that she empathises with those children. Their experiences have similarities. Both training to use biotic abilities in combat situations. I would imagine that she is partly trying to ensure that none of the children suffer as she did."

Shepard watched her working, smiling at the glint of the computer light on her blue skin. "How do the asari learn biotics?" She asked.

Liara shrugged. "Every asari school includes biotic training programs. It's basic education. Still those children in the academy were very impressive. I'm sure Jack's proud."

"Well I'm proud of her, for sure."

"So when are you thinking this dinner will take place?"

"Tomorrow night. I think I might be busy tonight."

"Oh?" Liara finally looked up from the terminal, quirking her eyebrow up. "You have plans?"

Shepard leaned back on one arm on the bed, rolling her head and unbuttoning her top button. "Well I really do need to get some sleep in."

"Sleep is important." Liara was definitely distracted, she turned back to her computer but kept glancing over as Shepard undid another button. "You need to make sure you get a lot of bed rest."

"Well I am here in a bed. Seems a waste of energy to go all the way back upstairs when I can just sleep here."

"You make a good point." Liara shut down the computer and leaned against the desk. "I suppose I could use a night off as well."

"Liara?"

"Yes Maia?"

"Get over here."

 **AN:-** Mostly this chapter is a lot of stuff being moved from earlier to now. Jack's conversation from inside Grissom Academy, Vega's sparring session from just after Earth.

Also, sexay times!


	15. Chapter 15

**AN:-** Yay! Dinner scene!

Chapter Fifteen: Reunion

"That Primarch's got some real cajones. What we need are more politicians like him. Taking names and kicking ass."

Garrus chuckled. "Victus has definitely picked up that reputation. And it's well earned from what I've seen."

"Will the Primarch not be joining us for dinner?" Chakwas asked from the other end of the table.

"I extended the invitation. He preferred to remain in contact with his troops." Shepard shrugged. "I can understand the impulse."

"It's important to take time off, especially now in this sort of high tension situation."

"Turians respond to tension a little different than humans," Garrus told her.

"Yes, and you'd think I'd know that by now, all these years with the galaxy's most uncooperative patient."

"I thought that was the dear Captain?"

"Well she at least let me help with the rehabilitation of her scars. You seem to actually like them."

"Well I do think they give me a certain rugged charm."

Shepard grinned at the sparring. They weren't quite as many as had been gathered around the table before, but it was a group that seemed to gel well. Allers and Traynor had joined them, along with Jack, who was still in her wheelchair. Adams had sent a message apologising, but he and Joker needed to work on synching up some of the Normandy's finer systems after they had been knocked loose running from Cerberus.

"So tell us," Garrus said, shifting his attention. "What's Jack like as a teacher? How do you keep the runts in line?"

"It's a little bit of love, a little beat of fear, and a whole lotta ass-whooping."

"You beat the children?" Liara's eyes had gone wide.

"Not literally. They just need a bit of a kick to get them moving sometimes. Leave them to it and they'd be happy to stay where they're at, but I know they can do better." She was more animated than Shepard had ever seen her. "Like Rodriguez, she didn't watch her shield and she took that bullet, but I know that she's got the power in her to hold back a missile, if she needed to. But she'd rather blow things up with flashy bolts. And Prangley's too timid. He was sparring with Rodriguez and one of this attacks hit her square on, she didn't even flinch it was so weak." She shrugged. "Either that or he likes her."

"I'd hate being in charge of a bunch of hormonal time bombs," Vega said. "That's gotta be some kinda hell."

"I get it. I get that frustration they feel. All they need is someone to talk to every once in a while, and someone who knows when to get tough with them."

"They're going to need someone to talk to after what just happened," Liara said. "So many dead."

"I feel terrible about leaving you there like that," Cortez said. He had been quiet for most of the meal, but he was at least there."

"I did order you to leave," Shepard said quickly.

"Yeah, doesn't make me feel any better. I'm just glad it worked out."

"It's not even that," Jack said, setting down her fork and staring at the plate. "Rodriguez had to kill two of those troops, and Jakob as well. It's no easy thing."

Shepard still remembered her first human kill. A border rebel who had jumped her squad. She had blacked out and could only remember seeing him leap out and seeing him then on the ground. Most specifically she remembered throwing up the moment they got back to base.

Around the table looks were being exchanged, sombre and quiet. Traynor shifting uncomfortably in her seat, while Allers looked curious. Garrus leaned forwards in his chair. "One of the worst parts of this war is the kids. If they're lucky they grow up thinking the galaxy is basically a decent place. Some rough spots here and there, but for the most part, life makes sense. Now. They find out it was all a lie. They wake up to see these things in the dark that just want to destroy everyone they ever cared about."

"It's better for them," Jack said. "I've killed…" She shook her head. "Too many. But they killed the right people for the right reasons. They can get through this."

They sat in silence for another minute, all contemplating their meals, until Garrus sat back and with forced cheer said, "looks like we beat Cerberus again at least. Do you think the Illusive Man fires lieutenants over failures like this? Or just lines them up against a wall and gets it over with?"

The dark humour seemed about right for the situation. Jack barked out a laugh, and everyone picked up their cutlery again to keep eating.

"So, Anderson and Sanders," Vega said. "That's quite a couple."

"There's a story there I wanna know," Shepard admitted. "She knew him back when he was in contention to be a Spectre. I looked up the report, what wasn't classified was a fascinating read."

"How so?"

"I think the mission Anderson took, where he and Sanders met. I think that was where Saren found Sovereign."

"Damn." Garrus shook his head. "It goes back all that way."

"It seems like a lifetime ago that that was our biggest concern," Liara said.

"What was it like?" Allers asked. "I've read all the reports but there's almost nothing in them."

"It…" Shepard rubbed her chin as she thought out her answer. "Things got out of control so quickly. I was told I was on a shakedown run for the new Normandy system, and then suddenly there's a turian Spectre on board. Everything just seemed to happen to us and we were always on the backfoot."

Garrus nodded. "I was told some ambassador had complained about Saren, and I was supposed to be looking into him. I thought the best option for my investigation would be linking up with Shepard, and then before I know it we're discovering a planet that's been lost for fifty thousand years and uncovering a threat to the galaxy."

"Simpler times," Jack drawled.

"No," Garrus said. "Actually this is simpler. We have to fight the Reapers. Everyone agrees, everyone believes us. This is war. It's going to be a hard one, but a fight is a fight. No more hiding in the dark."

"I'll say," Allers said. "I transmitted everything I could about Grissom Academy over Battlespace. The response has been immediate. Cerberus going after kids? That's turned the public in a big way."

Shepard hadn't been sure about Allers. She liked her well enough but she was automatically distrustful of reporters. But she had reviewed the Grissom Academy report before it went out. Allers had actually cut things that Shepard insisted she put back in. The public needed to know the full extent of what Cerberus had done.

Traynor was staring at Allers. Allers clearly noticed, giving her a smile that would have melted butter. "Yes Specialist?"

"I have to ask, do all war reporters look so… feminine." Shepard quickly covered a grin, looking over to see Liara doing the same. Clearly Traynor didn't get out much. "I mean you're made up so well."

Allers nodded. "We actually have a research department for that. They focus test looks, voice, manner. Apparently, girly is good. Asari pay more attention, salarians relate to high pitched voices."

"And turians?" Garrus asked. Shepard wondered if Allers would recognise the expression on his face, which she had always equated to a human raising an eyebrow.

"Turians are nuts!" Allers said with a laugh. "A civilisation of war nerds. Loyal viewers, but they write the creepiest fan mail."

Jack laughed at that. "You hear that Garrus. You and yours are all so hot for a steaming hot barrel pumping lead."

Garrus turned to look at her, leaning back in his chair. "You know, life just wouldn't have been complete if I didn't see you one more time. It's nice to see you've downgraded from 'dangerous lunatic' to 'mildly insane.'"

The old Jack would probably have leapt the table to attack him. The new Jack grinned viciously and jabbed a fork at him. "Don't push it turian. I could still take you."

"Well I have to admit, you did see through Cerberus back in the day. I might have even listened but your tattoos gave me a headache every time you walked into the room."

"Screw you Vakarian."

They were nearly done with their food. It wasn't the high quality Shepard had come to expect from Gardner, but it wasn't simple boil in a bag MREs either. She still couldn't quite get over the idea of having an actual kitchen on an operational military vessel. But she was certainly appreciative of it.

Garrus was talking again. "I wish they'd had a Grissom Academy for turians when I was growing up. Always wanted to learn how to paint. Now I mostly paint walls with Reaper blood. Not the same, but it's a living."

"You know, I've never thought of that," Vega said. "They don't have turian biotics?"

"They do, but they're very rare. Most of the military don't like them. I hear Victus has recalled all of the cabals to Palaven though, to aid the defence."

"Cabals?"

"Special units of biotic turians. We tend to clump them all together. Guess the situation really is dire enough now."

"You're pretty tight with the new Primarch," Jack said.

"We fought together on Menae."

"How'd you even get back in? Thought they'd have kicked you out for the whole Cerberus thing."

"I still had some pull on the chain of command. Called a favour or two. I knew I needed to get into the thick of it."

"I'm very glad you did," Liara said. "If only the asari were as willing to listen to the truth."

Jack snorted. "Well they're definitely listening now."

/|\

"Hey Shep?" Jack was wheeling herself into the elevator, heading back to her quarters. Shepard looked over from the table.

"Yes Jack?"

"Thanks for this. It was… nice."

"You're always part of the crew Jack."

It looked like she was struggling with a response, but she finally wheeled herself around and muttered, "thanks."

Shepard grinned as Jack got onto the elevator. Liara had already headed back to her quarters, but they were going to meet up again later. She was interested in Garrus' story.

"Shepard," he said as she walked in. He was still calibrating the guns, not even needing to look back to know it was her.

"So come on Vakarian, spill it," she said, leaning against the table he stored his armour on. "How'd you get back in?"

Garrus sighed, turning and leaning against the opposite table. "How much did I tell you about my father?"

"Ex-C-Sec. Didn't exactly approve of some of your choices."

"To put it mildly. Did I tell you about the last time we spoke? Before you collected me on Omega?"

"I don't think you mentioned that."

"I realised, after my team was massacred…" He sighed and looked away, searching for the words. "It's about the bigger picture sometimes. I get caught up in the details, I always have. Makes me a good cop, but I miss the context of what I'm doing. I called my father back then, just before you showed. He said that I should come back to Palaven and we would talk it all out."

"But you didn't."

"Well we had a galaxy to save. Again. But after, when you dropped me at Omega and went back to face the music. I went back to Palaven, like I said I would. And I found that I had lost any influence I might have had. All my work as Archangel, all my work with you, and under Cerberus… I don't blame them for kicking me out on my ass."

"So how did you do it then?"

"I did something I never thought I'd do. I talked to my father."

"That must have been a hell of a conversation."

"It wasn't as bad as I was expecting. We didn't really talk before we got straight down to business. He still had heavy pull in the turian government. The old Primarch was a friend of his. So I told him everything."

"About the Reapers?"

"The Reapers, sure, but I went right back. From Saren to the Collector Base."

Shepard raised her brow. "Honestly? I'm not even sure I'd believe us at this point."

"I'm not sure if he believed every single bit. Talking to Vigil? Finding out what Sovereign was, his control over Saren? But see, that's the thing about my father. He puts the details together and sees the big picture. That's what made him so effective at C-Sec. He sat, and he listened, and he put it all together, and probably the way I was saying it and the words I used and a hundred other things I didn't even think about."

"And?"

"The connections were there. And he wouldn't deny them. He believed me that the Reapers were real, and they were coming."

"It must be nice to have someone believe you."

"He did more than believe. The minute I finished speaking he called up the Primarch."

"Direct. I see where you get your style from now."

"Except the Primarch wasn't convinced. But my father kept pushing. That's how I ended up with a token task force. Just enough to shut me up and get me out of their way."

"So what did you do when you were out of their way?"

"All the sorts of things that you can do when governments aren't looking at you. There's emergency stockpiles across the colonies. Hardened lines of communication. Anything and everything I could think of."

Shepard nodded slowly. "I remember how it was back on Earth when they hit Garrus. Even having that extra ten seconds of communication might have saved lives."

He shrugged. "I'd like to think that too. I guess we'll know when the war is over."

He went back to the console, but she wasn't done quite yet.

"You've always given it to me straight Garrus. What do you think our chances are? Honestly?"

"I know it looks bad now, but I think we can win this Shepard. We're not alone in this anymore."

"The asari and salarians still aren't on our side."

"But it's not just us and this one little ship this time. All your human allies, and the turians. And I'm willing to bet the krogan will be behind you too." He turned and gave her a grim smile. "It's something I learned long ago in C-Sec. An imminent and painful death has a way of motivating people." The smile turned from bitter to something a bit more cheerful. "And besides, you're a bona fide Reaper-killer now. Whole civilisations are going to be clamouring at the chance to have you save them."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me."

"Official Vice-President of the Commander Shepard Fan-Club, remember?"

That got a chuckle out of her.

"The only concern I have is that humans undertake war in a very different way than the turians. We're taught from birth that if just one survivor is left standing at the end of a war, then the fight was worth it. But humans want to save everyone. In this war that's not going to happen."

"We know how to make sacrifices Garrus."

"Do you? Shepard I've watched you run into more hopeless situations than I can count, and you've done it to make sure every one of your crew came back alive. Speaking as one of your crew I appreciate the effort, but you have to be sure you won't stretch yourself too far and too thin. All of humanity has to be aware of that. Know when to pull back, when to retreat to an advantageous position and sacrifice the lives needed to do so."

She felt compelled to defend herself. "If we stop trying to save our people then we start to look like the machines, judging things on some assigned points of value. All life has worth."

"And I would never argue against that. But sometimes to save the billion lives you have to sacrifice a thousand. And I'm just not sure you can do that. I mean come on Shepard I've seen you wade into domestic disputes and shoplifting cases and try to fix clerical errors just to make sure no one has to suffer if you can do something to help them."

"And that's wrong?" She didn't quite know how they got here but they were a foot away from each other now, both yelling.

"It's wrong because you need to start seeing the big picture. You need to stop focusing on the all these irrelevant concerns and realise that you need to save the galaxy!"

"The galaxy is nothing but details. It's all the little details and people in it that make it worth saving. I thought you'd have learned that from your father by now."

Garrus stood suddenly ramrod straight, glaring down at her. When he spoke it was with a measured calm that was almost cold. "I think you should go."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to push her temper down again. "I'm sorry Garrus. I shouldn't have said that."

He didn't respond, only turned back to the computer. She sighed and left, heading back to Liara's office.

 **AN:-** Ooh, tension!

This chapter is a bit of a weird mix between canon conversations and stuff I made up. Chalk up another weird google search for writers 'what does it feel like to kill someone in combat?' At least three responses to that question I found said that they couldn't actually remember the actual kill, so that's what I went with.

Originally There was going to be a two part dinner, the students of Grissom Academy would be at the first one, then they would leave and the adults would have slightly more grown up talk, which is where Garrus' line about the Illusive Man offing his lieutenants would come into play. Then that just got a bit too complicated to write and I was either going to end up with a dijointed 6000 word chapter or a really lacklustre bit with the students, so I cut the whole thing down to size.

It is my mission to include at least one reference to MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) in every Mass Effect fiction I ever write.

The ending turning into a Shepard/Garrus argument just kind of happened. As I was writing it I realised I was hearing their voices as being raised in my head. Obviously Garrus' anger comes from concern and fear, not actual anger, and Shepard's kind of comes from her uncertainty that he might be right. All throughout Mass Effect a Paragon Shep has definitely started to tack towards being a Death Seeker. Not outright suicidal, but certainly putting him/herself into situations where death is a more likely outcome. My Shep definitely started to show that back at the end of ME2, after being run ragged for so long, but in ME3 it's like this constant downward spiral.

Cheerful stuff. On to the Citadel!


	16. Chapter 16

**AN:-** Time to meet up with even more old teammates.

Chapter Sixteen: Old Friends

"Normandy, we are transferring your clearance to an Alliance Official."

As was required by regulations she was sitting next to Joker as they came in to dock at the Citadel. It was a largely useless requirement, especially with EDI knowable to handle all of the double checking far more accurately than Shepard could, but the regulations hadn't been written with hyper advanced AI in state of the art stealth ships in mind.

Joker was grumbling, of course. "Figures, finally back in action and the Alliance already wants us tagged and collared."

"You are leaning on the transmit button Jeff," EDI said softly.

"Just our way of welcoming you back flight lieutenant," the woman's voice came over the other end.

Joker sat upright and put his hands to the controls. "Uh, yes ma'am, requesting docking permission."

"Docking permission granted. Would you like private transport arranged?"

Still grinning, Shepard leaned over to the mic and spoke. "I'll handle it."

"Yes Captain. Welcome back."

The rest of the docking procedure passed without a hitch and they were finally able to debark. Jack and the kids from Grissom Academy were leaving first, heading for a temporary Alliance waystation before more permanent assignments or quarters could be given to them. Shepard was there to see them off, giving Jack a last salute and Kahlee a firm handshake. The students still seemed a little unsure of her. She would have called it awe, if that didn't make her so uncomfortable. She wondered if they had been talking to the crew and hearing stories.

She and Garrus still hadn't had a proper chance to talk again. She didn't push it either. Liara was staying on the ship for a little while, but had promised to meet up with Shepard later.

As she stepped into the Docking Bay she saw Miranda at once, for all that she was trying to remain inconspicuous. It was nearly impossible for her to ever blend into a crowd. The flawless hair alone set her apart from everyone around her. Shepard walked over, leaning up against the wall next to her.

"Commander Shepard, it's been far too long."

"I wasn't sure if we were meant to pretend we didn't know each other."

Miranda smiled, but it looked hollow. "We live in interesting times."

"A little too interesting."

"I couldn't get anywhere near you when the Alliance had you locked up."

"Relieved of duty. It was complicated." Miranda pushed away from the wall and they headed into the small waiting area. "Speaking of, it's Captain now."

"Captain? Very complicated then. I'm surprised they didn't court martial you. The Alliance isn't known for its flexibility."

"Doesn't matter now."

"Shepard." Miranda sat down slowly on one of the benches. "About Earth…"

She wasn't sure if it was sympathy or a request for information. She decided to go with both. "Countless people lost their lives within minutes. The Reapers are everything we feared."

"They should have listened to you a long time ago. I'm sorry Shepard."

It wasn't worth dwelling on. "What about you? What brings you here?"

"I need to talk to a few people, like you. The Citadel's a good place to meet… for now. What's the Alliance's next move?"

 _Always the Intelligence Operative._ "We have a plan. It's a long shot."

"Not surprising." Miranda looked past her, to where the families were gathering, many of them soldiers heading off to join the war. When Miranda looked back there was a faint glisten in her eyes. "Shepard? There's… something I wanted to mention."

Shepard had only seen her so emotional over one thing. "Oriana?"

Miranda nodded. "I haven't heard from her for a while. I'm getting worried. I don't want to overreact, but… well, there's a lot going on."

"I thought you left to make sure she was safe," Shepard said cautiously.

"And I did. It's probably nothing but… I just know my father's involved."

Shepard sat next to her, turning to face her properly. "Maybe you'd better tell me exactly what happened?"

"I don't know. Everything I had in place to make sure she was safe went dark."

"What do you need from me?"

"I appreciate the offer, Shepard… but you have your hands full. If I need a door or two kicked down, I know just who to call." That with a smile that Shepard mirrored. "But for now… I'll be fine."

"I understand."

"I have to figure this out."

"And you will." She leaned back in the chair and watched the people filing by. "Why do you think your father is involved in Oriana's disappearance?"

"I kept careful tabs on my sister. I always knew where she was. For her to just vanish… it could only be him. After I hid her away, I still knew he'd stop at nothing to find her. She's all he has left. I have a hunch what happened, but I'll fill you in when I'm certain."

Shepard nodded. That was fair enough, though it was a shame to see Miranda back in her paranoid spy mode again. "It's been a long time. What happened to you?"

"I've been in hiding. Being on the run from just about everyone isn't as glamorous as it sounds."

"I didn't know." That at least explained the paranoia.

"It's all right. I knew there would be repercussions to walking away from Cerberus."

"I imagine. You're a dangerous enemy."

"I am."

"If you're looking for a lead here, anyone associated with Cerberus would be hard to find."

"No question. But I'm owed a few favours. Someone here will give me a tip on Oriana."

"Have you had any run ins with the Illusive Man?"

"Just once. He said it had been a pleasure to work with me. But he needed to contain the situation."

"Contain the situation. Sounds final."

"It nearly was. He doesn't take rejection well."

"No he doesn't."

They lapsed into silence again as a turian and asari parted ways, the turian heading to his ship while the asari stood, watching him leave and wringing her hands.

"So much heartbreak is going to come from this war…" Miranda said softly.

"There's some hope as well. Jack's been keeping busy."

"How so?"

"Grissom Academy offered her a teaching position. She's really taken to it."

Shepard looked over to see Miranda smiling. "I'm glad she's found something."

"Of all of us she might have needed it the most."

"That we can agree on."

The clock beneath one of the news reports ticked over and Shepard sighed. "I've got to get back to it."

Miranda nodded. "I should get out of sight."

"Be careful," Shepard said as they rose.

"No promises."

She turned and left without another word, stepping easily into the crowd heading for the security checkpoint. She quickly disappeared from Shepard's view. Shepard headed the other direction, towards the shuttles and the hospital.

/|\

When she walked into Ash's room she found Udina there, talking to her. He didn't seem to notice she had walked in. "I'd like an answer Lieutenant Commander. The galaxy has need of exceptional soldiers like you, now more than ever."

"I still need time," Ashley said. "You'll have my answer soon, I promise."

"I'll look forward to it." Udina turned to leave, clocking her and nodding. "Shepard."

She waited until he had left and the door had cycled closed before nodding as well. "Udina." Ashley grinned at her and she came to sit next to the bed. "I got your e-mail. Made your decision yet?"

"On becoming a Spectre? No. It's an honour and all, but, I don't know. I need to think about it some more."

Shepard nodded. "It's a big decision. Smart to give it some thought." She remembered how it had been for her. Perfunctory. Not like she had had much choice. Ash deserved that much. She looked around the room, spotting the Tennyson. "Did you enjoy the books?"

"It was very sweet. I've been climbing the walls."

She seemed cheerful enough, although her face was still covered in bruises. At the very least most of the facial swelling seemed to have gone down. "How are you doing?"

"Good, considering." She smiled. "The nurse said you checked in on me earlier. Still out cold I guess".

"I didn't have time to stay. I thought maybe, if you were up to it…"

"Yeah." Ash propped herself up on her elbow. "I wasn't sure you wanted to. You were pretty clear on Mars about where things stood."

Shepard frowned. Things on Mars had gotten so confused, and of course she been through Palaven and Grissom Academy since. "What do you mean?"

"You're not a part of Cerberus anymore. Case closed. Full stop."

 _Oh yeah, that argument._ "It's the truth."

"Okay. You cut all ties, I accept that." She leaned back, frowning. "It's just that, if you're giving the orders. I need to be able to count on you."

Shepard sighed. In the past she might have offered some condolences, or retreated into the commander persona that Ashley had needed before. But it was past time for her to be confronted head on. "That works both ways," she said, and saw the shock in Ash's eyes. "It's a damn mess out there. All we've got is the people around us. We have to trust each other or this doesn't work. Deal?"

Ash nodded slowly. "Deal."

Shepard nodded. "When you're back on your feet, we'll talk some more."

Before she could stand Ash looked back to her. "Shepard… wait. There's one more thing, I wasn't sure if I should mention it."

"What is it?"

"I have family back on Earth." Shepard had almost forgotten about Ash's sisters. "I… I haven't heard from them. It's making me crazy. But I know you're busy Shepard, we can talk later."

Shepard smiled at her and settled back into the chair. "I've got time to talk. So who's back on Earth?"

"Mom plus my three sisters. The youngest, Sarah, was away on her honeymoon. Married a military man, Thomas. He got called back in and she was stuck alone." She sighed and turned away, looking out at the Presidium. "She called me. It's been pretty tough."

"I can imagine."

"I was always there to protect them growing up. Even when I was off on tour, they knew they could talk to me. I told her to come to the Citadel. We can wait for news together."

"That's a good idea." She didn't know how much the news was reporting. She didn't want to worry Ash. "Have you heard anything about Earth?"

"We have reports coming all the time on what's going on. Half are wild speculation, and half are probably too optimistic to be true."

"We have to believe that we can do something."

"When I thought you were dead, I lost hope." Ash looked at her, and Shepard couldn't read her expression. She remembered the moment Ash had seen her on Horizon. How she had referred to her as a God. She didn't like the look she saw now. "But when you came back? I was ready to believe anything." She looked away again and Shepard stared down at the floor. She didn't share Ash's faith, and sometimes it was deep enough to make her uncomfortable. Thankfully, Ash seemed to have noticed that. "I mean, maybe this problem can't be solved by some grunt shooting the boogeyman in the face. But if you think it might help, I'm game."

"Now that sounds more like the Ash I know." There was another subject she wanted to broach, but she had to do it in the right way. "I didn't hear from you while I was a guest of the Alliance."

"I couldn't face you. Even when Anderson requested my presence, it was difficult."

"It's okay. We're both professionals. We have more important things to worry about."

"You're right."

That was all that needed to be said, for now. She forced a grin and leaned back in the chair. "So what's all this Lieutenant Commander business?"

Ash chuckled and nodded, propping herself back up on her elbow. "Seems like the old Williams curse is losing its grip. Was sure I'd top out at gunnery chief."

"You've worked hard, you deserve it."

"I used to think so too… until Eden Prime. Losing 212 was… well, you know."

She did know. Losing her squad on Akuze had destroyed her for years. "It was the Reapers Ash. You did the best you could and survived to help us."

"Just, losing everyone under my command… it's tough to face. I'll never forget any of them."

"And that' right. If you forget them, if you let it become too easy, then you lose what makes you human. But it's not disrespectful to move on with your life."

Ash nodded, and Shepard checked the time. "I really do need to go Ash, there's other people I need to meet with while I'm here. And the war's not slowing down."

"Understood Captain."

Shepard stood, but before leaving she sighed and looked down at Ash. "We can't afford to be at each other's throats. If we plan on getting through this, we need to trust each other."

"I'd like to Shepard. I'm glad we had a chance to talk. I was trying to keep the family stuff to myself, to be professional. I don't know how you manage to keep it all together."

"People are counting on us."

"I get that. But it's still hard to put it all aside."

"Take care of yourself Ashley."

"Will do Captain."

She headed back out through the hospital and towards the shuttles again.

/|\

Udina was in a meeting when she went to his office, so she decided to step into the Spectre office instead. Humanity's embassies had expanded quite a bit since the first time she had joined them. No more single office in amongst the others.

She was surprised as she entered the office to find a salarian already inside, looking over the computer screens. He had to be a Spectre, there was no other way he could have gotten through the door. She walked over and cleared her throat.

"Can I help you?"

He looked up from the computer, giving her a curt nod. "Commander Shepard, Jondum Bau, Special Tactics and Recon. I've got intel suggesting that high-level Hanar officials may be indoctrinated."

 _Straight to business then._ "That's a damning accusation. What have you got?"

He brought up his omni-tool and started a data transfer. "Evidence of an Alliance black ops team raiding a batarian research station. The batarians were studying Reaper technology."

Her eyebrows shot up. "The batarians had Reapers technology?"

"The Alliance raid turned into a massacre and the humans ended up with nothing. Your people faked a power failure to hide the incident."

She felt compelled to defend the decision to the other Spectre, no matter her personal feelings about such an action. "The batarians would have gone to war if they'd found out." At his impassive stare she bit her lip and asked, "how does this implicate the Hanar?"

"They maintain discreet grey market trade relationships with the batarians, and led the Alliance to the station." The transfer of data was completed. He closed out the omni-tool and turned back to the computer. "We suspect those hanar operatives escaped with batarian tech. if your reports on the Reapers are accurate, they could already be indoctrinated."

She came to join him, watching as he flicked through classified surveillance streams. "What's your source on all this?"

"It was an anonymous gift, but I believe it came from a thief named Kasumi Goto." She managed to avoid reacting, but only just. "I've been after her for years. "

"Kasumi." She frowned. "Doesn't ring a bell. Is she really worth a Spectre?"

"She is a master thief. Her intelligence and skill are almost salarian."

Kasumi would have loved to hear that. "I'm sure she'd appreciate praise from the Spectre who's chasing her down."

"I only need her data, I admire her personally. And since she sent me this I assume her feelings are mutual." That sounded like Kasumi.

"What do you need me to do?"

"The Hanar operative is now a diplomat on the Citadel. I don't have a public name, and the hanar will go to ground if I make a formal inquiry."

"So we're going fishing."

"I'm tracking suspicious transfers to the hanar homeworld. I could use your help monitoring communications, transmissions, that sort of thing."

"Let me see what I can dig up."

"Thanks Shepard, and for the record, not everyone doubted your concerns about the Reapers. I just hope we're not too late." He nodded to her and left.

 _Nice to know I've got some allies out there._ She turned back to the screen, bringing up her special permissions. It was still scary to her just how much power a Spectre had. She was given carte blanche to monitor any diplomatic communications she so wished. Without any real oversight she was finding it a little too easy to see how Saren had managed what he did.

As she opened the links to the hanar messages she saw another communique, regarding two prisoners in Alliance custody. She grinned. Daniels and Donnelly, the classic double act. She tapped out a quick message to pardon them and have them reassigned to the Normandy. _Maybe the massive and uninhibited powers can lead to some good things._

The door to the office opened again and she turned round, seeing no one. As the door cycled closed she sighed and shook her head.

"What is it?"

"So," Kasumi Goto said, materialising out of thin air. Shepard didn't even bother to ask how exactly she had broken through what was supposed to be the most secure system on the Citadel. "Remember when you helped me get Keiji's greybox from Donovan Hock? The one with information that could start a war?"

"I thought we destroyed that information to keep you safe."

"There were enough clues left for me to piece things together when I… got curious."

Shepard chuckled. "I guess I should have expected that."

"It was big enough to leak it to Bau. If you don't mind me tagging along cloaked, maybe I can help you dig up some dirt on the hanar."

"I'd appreciate it."

Kasumi jumped up to sit on the desk as Sheaprd worked. "Bau's got a good plan. Hanar are predictable. Anything suspicious in those terminals use should narrow down our list of suspects."

"So you approve of Bau?" She quickly found some odd money transfers from two hanar named Bolohn and Oloon, forwarding them both to Bau.

"Absolutely. He's a good Spectre. The galaxy needs more like him."

"And the fact that he's trying to arrest you?"

"Well, nobody's perfect"

Bau was on her communicator. "Bolohn's clean. His money transfers are to support his mistress. Not sure about Oloon. I'll pull his bio."

"I'll check Oloon's personal messages."

Apparently Kasumi had a tap on both ends of the conversation. "Can I just note how odd it is for a hanar to have a mistress?"

"You know, if Bau catches up with you, I could grant you immunity."

"What, if I join up? Last time I did that, you roped me into a suicide mission." Kasumi held up her hand and waved it, her little finger and ring finger waving without her control. A little reminder of their mission.

"I didn't say you had to join up."

"You were working your way around to it."

Oloon's files pinged for her list of flagged terms. "Bau, Oloon's doing some heavy lobbying for the hanar to support the war effort."

"So he's clearly not indoctrinated. Who's opposing him?"

"An unnamed hanar recently posted her from Kahje. I'll check transit records for incoming Hanar."

"It all comes down to the war," Kasumi said as she continued. "Aand you trying to pull everyone into it."

Shepard paused, looking up at her and trying to see her eyes beneath her good. "Would you rather the Reapers win?"

Kasumi looked away. "No." She sighed. "And I owe you for getting Keiji's greybox back from Donovan Hock. But I can't do another Collector base, Shepard. The Reapers aren't people. I can't infiltrate a Reaper party and steal a big 'I win' bomb."

Before Shepard could voice the thought she had been collating the files pinged again.

"I've got a list of new hanar arrivals Bai, forwarding it to you."

"Damn. These are all face names. The hanar names from the Alliance raid are soul names. And Hanar soul names are private. There's no public record. Can you get into their personal communications?"

Shepard brought up her overrides and was horrified but not particularly surprised to see that she could. "On it. Maybe we'll find the names there."

"So how's the rest of the gang?" Kasumi said cheerfully. "Met up with anybody else?"

"Garrus is helping out on the Normandy. Jack's been teaching kids."

"Garrus never could pass up a good fight. What about Jacob?"

"Haven't heard from him."

"See, Jacob could've gotten me back on the Normandy."

"I'm touched." She brought up a string of correspondence filled with names of different hanar. "Bau, here's the correspondence. If there's any mention of soul names…"

He cut her off. "I've got it. A recent arrival. Zymandis. Soul name: Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair. He was with the Alliance team that massacred the batarians. He's been on 'special research assignment' ever since."

 _Nothing suspicious about that._ "So he got his tentacles on some Reaper tech."

"Looks that way, I'm sending you the nav point for his office. I'll meet you there."

It was down in the regular embassies. Shepard closed down the terminal and turned to Kasumi. "You coming?"

"Well I would stay and take advantage of all this lovely unguarded technology, but I suppose."

As they headed towards the door Kasumi faded from sight, but Shepard could still feel her at her shoulder as they walked.

Bau was outside the offices waiting. He didn't even greet her, just waved her through the door and into a small side office where a hanar was watching a bank of computer monitors.

"Zymandis?" Shepard said.

Bau stepped forwards. "Or should I say, Regards the Works of the Enkindlers in Despair?"

 _It's very difficult to say the hanar soul names accusatorially._ She mused.

The hanar turned slightly and pulsed. "It seems this one has been apprehended, but confinement is irrelevant. The work of the Enkindlers cannot be stopped."

"Why are you trying to help the Reapers?" She asked.

"We obtained information regarding the Enkindlers from classified sources."

"The Enkindlers…" She frowned. "You mean the Protheans?"

"Yes, as you are aware Commander Shepard, the Protheans eventually became the Collectors." She could already see where it was going and closed her eyes in frustration. "And the Collectors serve the Reapers."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Therefore, as a faithful servant of the Enkindlers, we too must serve the Reapers."

She was at a loss for words. Thankfully Kasumi had some sage wisdom for the occasion.

"You know, I support religious freedom for all species, but that's just crazy."

"Your scepticism does not matter. When the Enkindlers uplift us as their chosen sapients, the galaxy will bear witness."

 _Enough of this._ "You're insane, and we can't allow you to endanger your planet. We're taking you into custody."

"Your belief in your victory is mistaken. Our planetary defence network is largely automated. It can be disabled with a single virus. Which I have just uploaded."

Shepard started forwards, but behind them the hanar's human bodyguard raised his gun.

"Damn it," Bau snapped. "Wait, a virus would be detected unless sent on low priority channels, which have a time lag." He looked to Shepard. "I may be able to block the upload."

The pistol barked and a bullet sparked off his shields. Shepard twisted, dropping into a combat stance as the bodyguard kept her covered.

"You may be delayed," the hanar said.

Kasumi flickered into existence, running for the computer terminal. "I've got this!" She shouted as she vaulted over the desk.

The bodyguard shifted to shoot Kasumi, which gave Shepard the perfect opening to step forward and snatch the pistol out of his hands, delivering a punishing blow to his ribs. Meanwhile out of the corner of her eye she saw Bau draw his pistol and put a triple burst directly into the main body of the hanar.

"Got it," Kasumi said, as Bau turned to level his pistol at her as well. "Uploads disabled. Looks like we're in the…" The computer started to beep, getting faster and faster. "Wait, he's got some sort of failsafe, get down!"

Shepard dived for cover as the explosion ripped out of the computer banks, picking Kasumi up and smashing her into the wall.

As the dust cleared and the automatic filters in Shepard's ears started to open up Bau stood up and looked to the ruins of the room where Kasumi had landed.

"She was here the entire time."

Shepard clambered to her feet as well. "She was an old friend."

"I intended to arrest her."

"She helped me take down the Collectors and she just gave her life to save the hanar homeworld."

Bau nodded. "Point taken." He straightened and held out his hand to her. She shook it readily. "It was an honour to work with you Shepard. When the time comes, I'll be there to return the favour, with a few friends."

She watched him leave, then looked back to where Kasumi had fallen.

"You can come out now."

The thief shimmered into being, grinning widely. "How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess." She wasn't about to reveal that Kasumi's stealth suit gave off a faint electrostatic distortion that she could see with her enhanced eyeballs.

Kasumi's smile faded. "There's no way you're recruiting me to fight in a galactic war."

"I wasn't going to ask you to. The Crucible Project needs technical experts."

"I'm not a scientist!"

"No, but you're the best thief in the galaxy, and you can hack unfamiliar technology better than anyone. They could use your help, and think of it all that expensive tech, just lying around…" She could see the interest gathering on the thief's face. "It's not like they're gonna check your pockets at the end of the project."

"You say the nicest things. All right, I'm in." She gave a mock salute and started to leave the room, before turning back. "And Shep. Nice working with you again."

 **AN:-** Man the Citadel is loooooooooong. Funnily enough I was rereading my old fics to get a sense of the characters and Noveria ended up also being so much longer than expected. Funny how things repeat.

Just another couple of things that get difficult given how I wrote the ME2 novelisation. Miranda's characterisation in my books is different to how she now acts in the game. Pretty much the same with Kasumi as well. And of course in my novel Miranda explicitly left because her father had found Oriana and she was going to protect her, while in the game the situation with Oriana is new.

I've tried to structure my playthrough and the writing up so that there isn't too much unnecessary travel. That runs the risk as always of falling into Shepard taking her sweet time while the entire galaxy is in peril. A lot of the quests are cut down from 'run about all over the Citadel' to 'stand in one place because there is no earthly reason you would need in this high tech future to physically run to all these places.' Also a lot of sidequests that don't directly contribute to something story based happening will be cut. So Shepard giving an asari doctor a biotic amp she found on Grissom Academy? Not relevant.

I still don't really like or get Kasumi. She's just not my style of character.

Onto the next chapter!


	17. Chapter 17

**AN:-** Let's round up some mercs!

Chapter Seventeen: Purgatory

Her next stop was at Purgatory, where according to an e-mail Aria T'loak was waiting for her. She couldn't quite imagine what the crime boss was even doing on the Citadel, but she wasn't going to ignore such a summons for very long.

From the outside Purgatory looked no different to any other building on the Citadel. It was very smooth and sleek and clean. Aside from the flashing sign giving the name it could have been an office building. There were clusters of people around the outside, all different races. She saw one group of well-dressed humans vomiting over the railing. She didn't envy whoever was dozens of stories down.

She stepped into Purgatory and frowned a little. She wasn't a fan of dive bars, for all that she had found herself in a few of them over the years, but Purgatory was a little too clean. To some extent she _expected_ clubs to be slightly dirty. The clean polish of Purgatory wasn't what she wanted from a clubbing experience. Nothing like the inch of grime found in Omega, but she remember Flux and Chora's Den. Just the right amount of dirt, but not being so filthy they made her want to take a cold shower.

As she scanned the club she saw Aria, having taken over an entire couch and significant section of the floor. She was lounging, gazing impassively up at a human woman who was lecturing her about something. Shepard trotted over, hearing frustration in the woman's voice.

"So you admit you and your thugs are here illegally?"

"Yes," Aria said. "And it only took C-Sec three weeks to figure it out."

The human bristled. "I don't care who you are. You're required to go through processing like all other refugees. Come with me."

Shepard winced a little. This couldn't go well.

"I don't think so." Aria snapped her fingers and

"Sheerk." A human male stepped smartly up to the couch. "Get me the asari councillor."

The C-Sec agent sneered as Sheerk brought up his omni-tool and keyed in a command. As the asari councillor materialised before them the C-Sec lost all her bluster at once. "Greetings Aria, is there something you need?" The councillor asked.

"I'm being asked to submit to immigration processing."

"Of course you are." The councillor reached off screen and Shepard quirked an eyebrow up, meeting Aria's eyes. "Done. What else can I do for you?"

Aria looked back to the C-Sec officer. She had barely even looked at the councillor. "Nothing," she said. "Thank you."

"My pleasure." The asari councillor faded from view and Aria turned back to the C-Sec officer, who was thoroughly humbled.

"I think we're done here," Aria said. As the C-Sec officer beat a hasty retreat Aria shifted her gaze to Shepard. "Enjoy the show?"

Shepard sauntered over, lowering herself onto the couch next to Aria as deliberately as she could. "I guess there's one rule on the Citadel huh?" She said.

Aria noticed the sarcasm. "I guess so." She looked over at the crowds enjoying themselves. "I hate this place, so sickeningly uptight."

"Then why are you here?"

She stood and began to pace. "Cerberus stole Omega from me." That was a shock. "The Illusive Man is now squarely at the top of my shit list. He will pay for every second I've spent in this bureaucratic hell hole."

 _Maybe be more worried about losing a space station than having to be stuck on the Citadel._ "How did Cerberus defeat you?"

"Deceit, distraction and a big fucking army. They lured me away from Omega and ambushed me, I escaped but Cerberus had already laid siege. By the time I could launch an assault, they were too entrenched."

"At least you escaped to fight another day."

"And that day is coming. I'll take Omega back, but I'll get to that." She came back to sit on the couch next to her. "You're here because I have a proposition."

"I'm listening."

"The way I see it, if you don't defeat the Reapers, we're all dead." Shepard quirked her eyebrow up. It was odd to hear someone so automatically accepting and helpful of her problems. "Won't matter where I'm sitting. It's in my interest to help you."

"What are you offering Aria?"

"On Omega, I kept the Blood Pack, Blue Suns and Eclipse in check. Now they're running amuck. Nobody wants that. Unite them, under my rule, and you'll have a powerful and ruthless force for your war. I've laid the groundwork with all three groups. I just need you to close the deal."

She should have known any proposition from Aria would make her question her morality. "Give a criminal a gun, he'll shoot you in the back."

"They already have guns Shepard. I'll make sure they point them at the Reapers." That at least was tempting, assuming Aria wasn't the one shooting her in the back. "I'm trying to help you. Why don't you think it over? Meet with Narl, my agent who's dealing with the Blood Pack. The Blue Suns leader is incognito here on the Citadel, he'll be expecting you. And I already have a deal with Jona Sederis, the Eclipse leader. You just have to get your friend Commander Bailey to let her out of jail."

"You obviously don't know Bailey very well."

"Bailey respects you. Lean on him. I think a united force of professional mercs is worth it, don't you?" Shepard got up, fully expecting Aria to say something else. "It's always a pleasure Shepard, let me know if you want to talk later."

 _Always has to get the last word in._

She didn't look back as she headed over to the bar, spotting Vega standing there as she came up.

He glanced at her over his shoulder as she walked up, smiling and nodding. "Hey Captain, nice to see you down here in the dirt with us grunts."

She frowned, leaning up against the bar. "You think I don't like getting dirty?"

"Whoa now, come on… I didn't mean anything by it Lola."

"Uh huh." She folded her arms and glared at him. "What did you mean then?"

He nodded again. "See those marines over there?" He jerked his thumb and she saw a small group of marines. She had clocked them as she walked over, when they had been drunk and wild. Now they were all seated again. "None of them officers, just soldiers fighting the war."

"Yeah?"

"They've been buying me drinks all night. You know why?" She shook her head. "Same reason they got all quiet and serious when you walked in."

So he'd noticed as well. "You don't seem intimidated by me in the least," she pointed out. "In fact you could use a little more deference."

"Ha… sure. But I've fought with you. I've seen you in action. Don't get me wrong, you're good. Probably one of the best."

"Probably?"

"And you fill out a uniform like nobody's business." She frowned and he shrugged. Clearly he was a couple of drinks down already. "Just saying. But I know you're human. Just like me."

"But not them?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Hell I still remember the day they made you the first human Spectre. I watched it on the vids, just like all of them. But to them, you're still larger than life."

"I've seen a hell of a lot, but I'm still just a soldier. I'm still one of them." Even as she said it she wondered. She had never gone drinking with Anderson. When she had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander she hadn't gone out drinking with the privates anymore. Maybe James was right and this was more hero worship, or maybe somewhere along the line she had turned into Command without ever realising it.

Vega was nodding. "Sure, but they don't know you. They just know what they've been told. Listen… you want 'em to see you're one of us, right?"

"Maybe."

"Then buy 'em a round."

She folded her arms and shook her head. "Let's not overdo it."

"Well, you could at least buy me a round."

"Tell you what." She turned round and waved the bartender over. "A round for any military personnel here." The bartender nodded and headed off to announce it.

Vega was staring at her as she turned back to him. "Yes?"

"You're not going to join us Lola?"

"They're just trying to enjoy their shore leave. No need for the brass to get in the way of that." She accepted her drink and held it up for him to toast. He downed his in one and then straightened, saluting her.

"Thanks for the drink Captain."

"Thanks for the advice Vega."

She was slightly surprised, as she walked away, to find that she was alright with her realisation. As she got onto the shuttle, heading for the coordinates Aria had given her, she reflected that she was wearing her casual uniform. Another thing she had never seen Anderson in. He had always worn his officers uniform. Maybe it was time for her to think about that.

She pushed that thought away. No need to dwell on that while she still had mercs to recruit.

She headed for the embassies again. The easiest of the mercenaries to recruit ought to be Jona Sederis. She trotted up the stairs to Bailey's officer, nodding to him as he looked up and smiled to her.

"Shepard, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm here to talk to you about releasing Jona Sederis."

The smile quickly vanished. "Damn, you too? Somebody got the Council to order her release." Shepard cocked an eyebrow up. If Aria was getting her to do it then why would she put pressure on the Council as well? Unless there was more than one player with a stake in the game. "I'm delaying as best I can. What's your stake in this?"

"It's classified." She winced a little as she said it. She had always hated when people pulled that on her.

Bailey saw clean through her, of course. "That's a fancy way of saying mind your own business." He sighed and shook his head. "Look there's no way I'm letting that psychopath out. The woman's unstable and a clear public threat."

"What makes you think she's crazy?" His instincts were usually good. If he thought the woman was dangerous it was worth it to listen, she didn't want to be letting a complete loose cannon out.

"She was a ruthless sadist before she got caught. Her imprisonment has cracked the shell off the nut."

"Maybe freedom will improve her." She didn't hold out much hope for that.

"She rages day and night Shepard, calling for the deaths of all Eclipse enemies. No. Freedom will only give her the chance to kill."

"I'd like access to her to judge for myself."

"Sure thing." Bailey pulled up a file and tapped in some commands. "I'm sure you'll agree, then maybe the Council will listen to you and rescind the order." He transferred a file to her and nodded. "Go to the C=Sec outpost, my assistant will connect to Sederis' cell from there. Then call me back."

"We'll speak shortly."

The C-Sec Station was on the Presidium Commons, along with her contact for the Blood Pack. She had also received a message from Liara letting her know that she was at one of the café's.

 _One thing at a time._

She headed for the C-Sec Station first, figuring that it would be rude to keep the officer waiting. As she came into the station a turian desk officer stood and saluted. "I've connected with Jona Sedairs in her cell, Captain. You can speak with her via my console."

"Thanks, we'll need some privacy."

"Of course. When you're done you can also contact Commander Bailey from that terminal." He marched smartly from the room, leaving her with the open comm link.

"Who's that spying on me now?" An asari leaned into view of the camera. "Ah, I see. Good." She stepped fully into the screen, staring Shepard down. "Aria's indentured servant has finally come to deliver me to freedom."

If she was looking for a fight she wasn't going to get one. Shepard sat down in the desk-officer's chair and kept her voice carefully level. "I want to talk with you before I secure your release."

"Bullshit. You have no choice. And when I get out, heads will roll." As she ranted, Shepard watched her closely. She was clearly very mad. She also didn't blink, something Shepard had only seen once before, when Morinth was trying to seduce her. She wondered if it was an asari thing. "Oh yes. You've killed a lot of my people. Don't think I've forgotten that."

"You have to move on."

"And I will. Once my enemies are dead. I love holding all the cards. Even in here you must deal with me. I have all the power!"

Shepard had met this sort of maniac before. She would reveal her own weakness if just given a chance to talk. "Is that right?"

"Yes. Sayn, my second in command, is a weak-willed toady. If he had balls, he'd leave me to rot and take control himself. But he won't defy me, he knows better. Now get me out of here Shepard. Tell Bailey to release me."

Shepard cut the connection without another word, calling up Bailey, who responded immediately.

"Bailey I've seen Sederis."

"So she's crazy right? It would be ridiculous to let her out."

Shepard nodded. "She's a menace. Let me try to make this problem go away."

"Sounds good, I'll hold the line until I hear from you."

She pushed away from the desk, nodding to the turian waiting outside, who came back to sit at the desk. Leaving the station Shepard called up the Spectre surveillance logs and found that an alias of Sayn had been documented using one of the ATMs at the Docking Bays. It looked like he was hiding out amongst the refugees who were beginning to pour in. According to Aria Dorner Vosque would be there as well.

She headed for the apartments in the Commons, where her Blood Pack contact should have been waiting. She opened the apartment and at once a batarian yanked her inside.

"Quick," he growled. "hands behind your back, they'll be here any minute."

She shook him off and held up a finger. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Kreete. Blood Pack's leader." Shepard frowned, she had thought the meeting was going to be with their leader. Clearly Aria hadn't told her everything. "Aria brings him the great Commander Shepard, Kreete pledges the gang to her. We're just luring him into the open so we can take him out."

 _Or Aria promises Kreete me and gets control of the Blood Pack after I'm dead._ "Not the best start to our friendship Narl."

"He's coming! Put your hands behind your back and uh, try to look like I beat you up or something."

She frowned, but hearing the voices coming up the hall she couldn't think of a better option. All she could hope was that Aria wanted her alive and helpful more than she wanted her dead and out of the way. "This better be on the up and up."

Narl nudged her shoulder. "Quiet!"

Shepard did her best to look defeated as three vorcha strolled into the office, looking entirely out of place on the Citadel at all. "Aria T'loak even more powerful than Kreete thought." The vorcha at the front said, sneering at her. "Her instruction on boarding Citadel undetected were one thing. Now this! Commander Shepard." He leaned in close enough that she could smell the sour tang on him. Clearly Kreete didn't believe in bathing. "Want you to know. Your head will be hood ornament on my personal shuttle."

Narl put a hand on Kreete's shoulders and shoved him back. "Keep your distance Kreete. So, do you agree to Aria's terms?" Shepard felt a compact pistol being pressed into her hands.

"Most definitely. Aria can use the Blood Pack as she sees fit,"

Narl grinned. "Wasn't talking to you Kreete." He looked over Kreete's shoulder to the green vorcha. "Gryll?"

Kreete looked between the two of them. "What?"

The green vorcha nodded. "You have my word, now open fire!"

Shepard whipped her hand round and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet into Kreete's head. At the same time Narl pulled a pistol and emptied half a dozen bullets into the final vorcha, dropping him.

Shepard snapped her gun up to the final vorcha, covering him before he could draw his gun. Narl jumped forwards quickly. "Not him! Gryll's next in line to take over. Aria's deal is with him."

"Yes?" Gryll looked to Narl, then nodded at Shepard. "Yes. I'm Aria's mole. Shepard. You've scratched my back, now I'll scratch yours."

Shepard collapsed the pistol and handed it back to Narl, giving Gryll a glare. "Word of advice. Don't double cross Aria."

Gryll shrugged. "I may be ambitious, but I'm not crazy."

"Uh huh." Gryll headed for the door, leaving her with Narl.

"Good work Narl," she said. "Thanks for the gun."

"Anytime Shepard. I'll let Aria know the light is green."

She nodded and left the room.

 **AN:-** One thing I did find odd about ME3 was the removal of neutral options. Like there has to sometimes be a happy medium in situations. I don't want to necessarily go full renegade, but equally full paragon is just too goody goody. I can buy a group of marines a drink without being a hardass oo rah jarhead. Though this does tie in to things like Shepard getting her promotion in this book. She's been talking the talk of being in command for all these years, now it's time to actually walk the walk, for all that means, and sometimes it means not being able to get down and dirty with the privates like she used to (stop snickering)

Not much else to say, all pretty much just follows the game.


	18. Chapter 18

**AN:-** Yet more Citadel!

Chapter Eighteen: This Thing You Call Love

She wasn't quite ready to go after more mercenaries just yet, so she headed down into the commons proper to find Liara. As she was heading down the stairs she spotted another familiar face. EDI was at one of the stores, staring at the list of wares.

 _I have to know what's going on here._

EDI looked up as she came over. "Hello Shepard," she said.

"You look like you're gathering data," Shepard replied, coming to stand next to her and survey the inventory as well.

"That is a safe assumption."

"Anything big and world shaking? Man's inhumanity to man? Does objective reality really exist? That sort of thing?"

EDI didn't seem to have noticed the sarcasm. "I was running scenarios in my head to analyse Jeff's behaviour. She looked over to the benches where Shepard realised Joker was sitting. "I believe he has a strong affectionate attachment to me, but he has not stated it to anyone yet." _Oh boy, here we go._ EDI looked back to her. "Shepard, you have first-hand sexual experience." _One mission. Just one mission without interpersonal requests from my crew._ "How do you know when someone is romantically invested?"

She resisted the urge to leave EDI with it. "Uh, they'll usually show signs they can't stop thinking about you. You know, asking you out, giving you presents, maybe playing you music." _Of course, that's the mating rituals of humans. I have no idea what Joker's deal is._

"I lack material wants other than hardware and software upgrades, and my core programming does not assign values to music. Perhaps we could discuss how to provoke Jeff into an emotional commitment."

Shepard sighed. _I need to take this seriously. This is clearly important to her._ "That's not how to think of it." She leaned against the wall next to the store and tried to think. "It's got to be natural. You need chemistry."

EDI nodded sharply. "I see. There are a number of pharmaceuticals I could inject to simulate the desired emotional state."

"No…" Shepard held up a hand and held back a smile. "No, I mean... Relax and do something you both like, something simple." _Romance for dummies, here we go._ "For example, you both like humour…" _After a fashion._

"Correct. I will see if there are comedic entertainment shows being presented on the Citadel. Scanning. Do you think he would like 'The Man Who Hung Himself?' It appears to be about an amorous plastic surgeon."

"I'm not really sure…"

"In a similar vein there is 'Shiver My Timbers,' a tale of shipwrecked pirates making the best of it. Which do you think is better?"

"Well I'm not really one for the timber." Shepard reached out and put a hand on EDI's shoulder. "EDI, the important thing is to have a good time, wherever you go. And if you're having fun, he probably will too."

"Then the outcome is an unknown quantity. But you are saying I should attempt it anyway."

"Nobody ever fell in love without being a little bit brave."

"I see." She looked away in Joker's direction, and Shepard could see the computations turning over in her brain. "I believe you have improved my chances Shepard. Thank you."

"Give it a minute alright EDI?" She had to give Joker some sort of heads up.

"Understood Shepard."

Giving her what she hoped was a reassuring pat Shepard headed over to Joker, who was watching the nearby news broadcast.

"Hey Captain!" He said as she walked up. She recognised his false cheer tone at once. "Check it out! Big News! The Blasto movie is breaking opening week records! There's also a big expose on quasar tournaments, tips on how to make your apartment look bigger." She let him get it out. They all had their ways of coping. "And, oh yeah A big ass Reaper invasion." He shook his head in disgust. "These people have no idea."

"When big events shake up the galaxy, people cling to what's familiar."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

She shrugged. "It's better than riots in the streets."

"I guess. I just wish there was a middle ground. You know, a little less gardening advice, a little more war prep."

"It'll happen. Once there's something people can do to help."

He clearly wanted to keep ranting, but he held himself back, waving to EDI instead. "Meanwhile, they ignore the unshackled AI walking around the Presidium."

"She run into any trouble?" Shepard asked.

"No, no." He chuckled. "She's my 'mobility assistance mech.' Thanks to Vrolik's Syndrome, I'm legally entitled to bring her everywhere. Finally getting some use out of those disability benefits."

"I'm sure she appreciates getting out to see the sights."

"Ah, she's earned a little shore leave."

 _That she has_. Shepard decided that it would be far better for this burgeoning relationship if perhaps Joker remained a little in the dark about it.

"Make sure you enjoy it too," she said, getting up off the bench. "Maybe take in a show or something while you're here."

"Sounds like a great idea Captain."

"Bring EDI as well, be good for her to get an idea of human culture outside of the Normandy."

"Will do."

Shepard nodded to him and continued on her way to the café, grinning at what was in store for him. _Nothing wrong with spreading a little happiness every once in a while._

Up the stairs towards the café she heard voices she faintly recognised, though she couldn't place them. She frowned and looked for their source, finding a man and a woman sitting on a bench arguing about their son. She paused to listen as they discussed sending him on a school trip or not and it finally twigged. She remembered the couple she had met o the Citadel three years earlier, arguing about getting a genetic screening for the woman's child by the man's brother.

Grinning, she moved on without disturbing them. It was nice to know that at least some things in the galaxy stayed constant throughout.

She found Liara sitting at a table overlooking the artificial river, but she wasn't looking at the scenery. Instead she was still working on a tablet that she held in front of her. Shepard stood behind her, watching her work, then stepped forwards and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.

"Still working?" She asked, moving round to sit in the chair next to her.

"One call leads to another. And here I was hoping I'd have time to enjoy the view." Liara looked exhausted. They hadn't been sharing a bed nearly as often as Shepard would have liked, so she had no idea how much Liara had been sleeping, but she could see it hadn't been enough.

"The last time I saw the Presidium… remember how it was all rubble after Sovereign attacked?"

Shepard nodded. "I barely got to see the Presidium before half of it got crushed."

"And by the time they repaired it, it was time for the next invasion. The Citadel hasn't seen the reality of this war yet." Liara picked up her datapad again. "We should stock up on necessities while we can."

"Such as?"

"Eezo, heavy arms, mercenary groups." Her eyes were scanning over the information at rapid speed.

"We'll get the people." Shepard leaned in and took her hand, tugging it gently away from the pad and looking at her. "Take a moment for yourself now and then."

"I know, I know. But there's always just one more task or meeting." Liara managed a smile, then it disappeared. "Speaking of which, talk to the volus, Barla Von. He'll point you to some mercenaries willing to join us."

Shepard bit her lip, but nodded and stood. "I'll be back, and you're going to stop working, just for a minute."

Liara was already lost in the world of data again. Shepard sighed and stood, heading back up, intent on reaching the Docks. As she was working by the bar she saw an asari behind the bar and frowned. She stepped over and the asari nodded to her.

"I remember you. Shepard right? Heard you're fighting the Reapers."

With the voice the name came back to her as well. "Matriarch Aethyta. You were working on Ilium. How'd you end up here?"

"Eh, with the Reapers making noise, I figured it was time to get somewhere safer. So I moved here."

 _Safer? I don't think so._ Another memory flickered and she frowned. "I don't think so. I've seen some video footage, of you looking at Liara."

"Yeah… Matriarch Benezia was…" Aethyta leaned against the bar and stared at the floor. "Was her mother. And she doesn't know it, but I was her father."

Shepard nodded. That made a certain kind of sense. Even why a matriarch would have been in Ilium tending bar. "Liara would love to meet you," she said.

"Why? She doesn't even know me from a hole in the ground. Benezia ran off before the kid was born." That much Shepard already knew. "Besides, this isn't charity work. She's one of the biggest intel brokers in the galaxy. And she's got some shady connections…" Aethyta's expression shifted, becoming hard and focused. "Like a girlfriend, who used to work for Cerberus. Sound familiar?"

"I only worked with Cerberus to fight the Reapers."

"And you're not with 'em now. I know. If you were, you wouldn't get within a light year of Liara."

Shepard bristled at that. "Is that a threat?"

"I'm no commando but I've had a thousand years to learn to fight dirty. Nobody messes with my girl." Shepard slowly folded her arms and glared. Aethyta didn't seem fazed by it. "Anyway, you combine her work with Benezia, and… well the matriarchs' might have ordered a hit."

"That's not gonna happen," Shepard snapped.

"No argument here. I only took these crap jobs to keep the matriarch's happy that she's under control."

"Just as long as we're clear." Shepard leaned against the bar as well, bringing them within inches of each other. "Nobody messes with _my_ girl."

"Ha! Maybe you're good enough for her after all."

They both stepped back from the bar and Shepard tried again. "I bet she'd like to meet you."

"Yeah, we'll see how that goes."

That did it. "Yes we will." And she marched back down to Liara at her table.

"Yes Shepard?"

"That bartender over there?" Shepard pointed but Liara didn't look.

"The matriarch hired by the asari government to track my movements?"

 _Of course she knows._ "She's your father."

"I know."

 _Wait what?_ "You know?"

Liara gave her that insufferably cute smug face. "I'm a very good information broker."

Shepard slowly moved to sit again. "And you haven't talked to her about spying on you?"

"If I did that, they might send someone who wasn't as sympathetic to me." She put the tablet down. "Besides, this is hardly the time for family reunions."

"Liara." She put very inch of whine she could manage into her voice.

"Oh, fine."

As Liara rose Shepard leaned back in her chair and grumbled. "I never get to surprise you with anything."

Thirty seconds later Liara returned with Aethyta in tow, and they both sat at the table. Shepard leaned back, wondering just what was about to go down.

"Come on," Aethyta said as they sat. "You can't blame the matriarchs for keeping an eye on you."

"I am not my mother," Liara sounded very grumpy.

"You did threaten to flay someone alive with your mind." Shepard covered her mouth, remembering that conversation. Somehow Aethyta had overheard it.

"I had to make them take me seriously. I wasn't going to actually do it. And…" her eyes went wide as she came to a realisation. "You bugged my office on Ilium!"

"That'd be the logical conclusion, yeah." Aethyta leaned back in the chair, her face carrying a very familiar expression of smugness. "Anyway, the matriarchs aren't gonna do anything to you. Especially in the middle of this damn war."

"My reports don't show much activity from the asari military against the Reapers."

"Come on, you know how asari work. Infiltration and sabotage."

"But against Reapers forces, that's…"

"I know. About as useful as tits on a hanar." Shepard snorted and both women looked at her. She quickly pretended to cough. "I'm gonna get a drink," she said, getting up and heading for the bar.

When she got back the topic had changed. "So yeah, my dad was a krogan."

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

"So that makes you a quarter krogan."

"That's… not how it works."

"I'm a thousand years old. I've had kids with hanar. Don't tell me how asari reproduction works."

"Wait, I have a half sister who's part hanar?"

"I thought that wasn't how it worked?"

Shepard grinned again, taking a sip as Liara put her head down on the table, clearly trying to process all the revelations. Shepard reached over and rubbed her shoulder.

Aethyta kept going. "All I'm saying is, if you feel the urge to headbutt something, that's genetic."

Liara jerked up quickly and glared at her father. "I have never wanted to headbutt anything."

"Really? Not even a little bit? Come on."

"I do not head butt people."

"Alright, fine don't go all blood rage on me."

Shepard was having the time of her life. She had almost never been able to get Liara this frustrated in all the years she'd known her. It was adorable.

Aethyta took a long sip of her own drink and seemed to be trying to compose herself. "Nezzy and I were together for more than a century," she said eventually.

"You loved her," Liara said.

"Of course I loved her." She sounded defensive. Shepard wondered just how many times she had had to justify that love since Benezia had turned. Possibly she had been justifying it ever since she and Benezia had first fallen in love. "She was so smart. Always thinking. Nice too. Hell of a lot nicer than I am." Aethyta cleared her throat and took a long drink. "And damn, that rack. I mean, Even before she hit the matriarch stage." She whistled, sounding so much like a dock worker Shepard had to wonder if there wasn't a little of that in her as well.

"You don't need to tell me everything," Liara grumbled. She had blushed almost pink.

"Nezzy was the only one who ever listened to me when I said the asari were stuck in the past. Only difference was I wanted us to stand on our own. She wanted alliances with the other species."

"Is that why…"

"Why it ended? Nah. Well maybe, I don't know." She shrugged. "Mostly it ended because she wanted to solve things the smart way, I wanted to fight."

"Those aren't mutually exclusive."

"Yeah. I hear you've racked up quite a body count." Liara tensed and Shepard reached out to take her hand on instinct. She knew how much Liara hated that aspect of their lives. Aethyta had clearly noticed as well. "But then, you are a quarter krogan."

"Now you're doing it on purpose."

The joke had worked, Liara untensed and took a sip of her own drink. Shepard leaned back, not wanting to get in between the two of them.

"It was pretty clear she was leaving," Aethyta said. "Can't be the wise counsellor when you're married."

Liara frowned. "Why not?"

"Sex appeal. Most species only pay attention to if they want to have sex with you. So you have to be available, mysterious…"

"What? That's not true. Shepard listens to me."

"And how many times have you thrown her on the bed and peeled her out of the uniform?"

Now it was Shepard's turn to blush as she remembered the last time that very thing had happened. Liara went pink for the second time and Aethyta grinned like the Cheshire Cat, looking between the two of them.

"Do you have to make it sound so… tawdry?" Liara said.

"If it's all civilised, you're not doing it right."

 _Amen to that._

"I made her promise to let you go your own way though, no matter what she wanted."

"Really?"

"I knew you'd be special kid. Any daughter of hers… I told her, you're treating her like a baby bird Nezzy, but she's gonna raise one hell of a storm with those little wings."

"Little wing?" Liara's voice went very small.

"You okay?"

Liara could only nod. Shepard remembered Matriarch Benezia's last words. She had called Liara 'Little Wing.' Shepard had never pushed her to talk about it, and Liara had never offered up the information.

"It's better to remember her like this, than whatever she turned into with that Saren bastard."

Liara was still teary eyed, so Shepard quietly spoke up. "It wasn't her fault. She was trying to stop Saren. Guide him as a force of good. But she was indoctrinated."

"Look, I heard stories about the reapers messing with your head…"

"They're more than stories," Liara said abruptly. "I've seen it. Every Cerberus soldier is a slave. She fought it with every fiber of her being. She even broke free and helped Shepard on Noveria before she died. I was there. She said I'd made her proud."

Tears sprang into Aethyta's eyes now, and when she spoke her voice wavered. "All this time I'd blamed Nezzy for it. Thousand years old and I still don't know crap." She sniffed, rubbing her face and looking out at the water. "Thanks for telling me."

Liara's datapad began to beep and she glanced at it, a frown creasing her brow again. "I need to get back to work. I'm sorry."

Aethyta nodded. "Me too." She stood and drained her glass. "Just take care of yourself out there, okay kid?"

"I will… dad."

Aethyta started to leave, then stopped and turned back. "Oh, I've called a few friends. Commandos. Eclipse girls who owed me a few favours. They're all yours, just tell 'em where to go."

Liara's face mirrored Shepard's own shock. "You're giving me… asari commandos?"

"Well you're too old for me to buy you a damn pony."

"You're the best father a girl could wish for."

It seemed Liara had finally stumped Athyta for something to say. She bit her lip, and Shepard was sure she saw a faint red tinge on her cheeks as she headed back to the bar.

"So," Shepard said once Liara's dad was definitely out of earshot. "Aren't you glad?"

"Yes I suppose I am."

"I'm sorry if I pushed you. I guess I'm just in a mood to see some happiness in all this."

"I understand Maia. And I am grateful, truly. Sometimes I need to be pushed." Liara reached out and took Shepard's hand, squeezing. "You have always pushed me to become more. I am more grateful than I can say for that."

Shepard half stood and kissed Liara, holding their faces together. "You've made me more as well. And I'm just as grateful."

"Thank you for saying that." The datapad pinged again. "Looks like it's back to work for both of us."

"I'll see you as soon as I'm done."

 **AN:-** Chucked in a reference to Buffy 'Shiver my timbers' 'Not really one for the timber.' Tara.

I can't even remember at this point if I included the couple arguing about the pregnancy in the first book novelisation. But I wanted to reference them here. It's those sorts of moments that make saving the galaxy worthwhile.

I've always thought that asari sleep less than humans. But even with that Liara ain't sleeping.

I like Matriarch Aethyta, and her interactions with Liara are some of my favourite in the game. I added a little bit at the end between Shepard and Liara just so I felt like I had actually done something creative this chapter.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN:-** Title is a bad pun based on 'alms for the poor.'

Chapter Nineteen: Arms for the Poor

One of the Docking Bays had been entirely turned over to the refugees pouring from across the galaxy. For now that was mostly a mixture of turians, batarians and humans. Shepard stepped out of the elevator to the bustle of hundreds of bodies, crowding around the reception desks making demands of the beleaguered staff. She didn't even bother to push through to talk to them. Hopefully she could find Dorner Vosque and Sayn without needing to bother the staff.

Scanning the crowds for any sign of her contacts she saw that one entire wall of the bay had been turned into a shrine of sorts. Names were carved into the wall, pictures had been hung up and people were slowly filing by it, adding their own memorials or gently touching those that were already there. From all the noise and activity it was the only place that was quiet, with a natural order to it as the people came by, no one shoving or causing obstructions.

She started to look closer at the little groups of people scattered around. Starting to move through the crowds she saw people everywhere crying, or holding their friends. A salarian comforted a human woman as she passed, and a batarian preacher had set himself up on a box, calling for unity and strength.

Over the hubbub she heard a familiar voice and quickly looked over to where most of the turians had been gathered. Garrus was in amongst them, giving out orders to find more medigel.

"Tell him I'll come up and talk to him directly if he can't pass the requisition order."

Shepard touched him on the arm and he turned to her, a weary smile on his face. "Shepard."

She gestured to the scene around them. "What's happening?"

"We convinced the Council to accept our wounded. Nowhere else to go."

"How bad is it?"

"More dead than injured. Eighty-five percent killed in action." She closed her eyes. "We'll need a morgue soon. Not a lot of flesh wounds when you're fighting Reapers."

She took a deep breath and let it out, opening her eyes again and forcing herself to look at those few wounded that there were. "Casualties are that high?"

He nodded, pulling her over to one side where they were less likely to be overheard. "Our front line units are being wiped out whole platoons at a time. A single Reaper can destroy nine or ten of them in one attack."

"That's not war, it's slaughter."

"They're called Reapers for a reason, and these guys found out why."

She rubbed her face, wishing she had any sort of practical advice. "Do what you can for them."

He nodded. "A few of them might get back on their feet, but the rest… Sympathy is about all we can offer."

"Any sign of your family?"

"Not yet." He looked away, and she could see the fear in him. "But I keep hoping. What about you? I'm starting to see some wear and tear."

"I won't lie. It's been rough."

"Well. Don't forget to come up for air. There's a lot more war to go."

"I know Garrus. But what would you do?" She waved at the crowd of turians. "Could you rest now, seeing this?"

He sighed. "No, you're right." A small smile came onto his face and he nodded to the back of the area. "I have something to show you though. Might give you a smile at least."

She followed him to the back of the lot, where a VI was being projected. She frowned seeing it, seeing something familiar in it.

"That isn't…"

"Good to meet you. I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy."

"Oh for the love of-"

"Extranet says you're Alliance military. Take care of yourself out there officer."

"Meet the unofficial Commander Shepard VI."

Shepard looked back to the VI. It had a smile plastered across its face she was sure she had never given in her life. It actually gave her a thumbs up.

"There's nothing this galaxy can't beat if we all work together Except the Reapers. Ever see the size of one of those things?"

"I'm sure this must be copyright infringement of some sort," Shepard said.

Garrus leaned in close to the VI, examining it closely. "The likeness is remarkable. Doesn't the Alliance Military have the rights to your image?"

"I'm not sure. It all got confused after I died and came back. I don't think the laws are really supposed to handle anything like that."

The VI piped up again. "My personality matrix can predict what the real Commander Shepard would say with seven percent accuracy."

"I'm not sure I'd call it one percent."

"I come pre-installed with an SSV Normandy Flight Sim."

Shepard groaned. "I'm going to put a stop to this."

"Oh now hang on," Garrus said. "Joker might quite like that."

"Got any pets? You look like a Varren person."

"I don't really sound like this do I Garrus?"

"Well it does have a certain familiarity. But it hasn't tried to…"

"Anyone ever tell you you're one hell of a looker soldier?"

"Oh, never mind."

Shepard glared at him. "You know you're really not as funny as you think you are Garrus."

"Well that's just an outright lie."

"I'll leave you to it Vakarian."

"Captain."

While they had been talking to the VI a man had come over to the turian bay, leaning up against one of the cargo containers and watching them intently. She headed over and leaned on the wall next to him, not looking at him.

"Aria wasn't kidding," he said. "The great Commander Shepard on a leash."

"I'm here for my own reasons Vosque."

Her guess was clearly right. He nodded and sneered. "Sure you are. Anyway, tell her I'm impressed, but to do business, I still need my little problem taken care of."

 _Why am I not surprised._ "Which is?"

"A turian general named Oraka has it out for the Blue Suns." The name rang a bell, but she couldn't place it. "He's raising a stink over our activity in this sector. I'll commit my gang to Aria as soon as Oraka's dead."

"There must be more to Oraka's complaint." _Because the Blue Suns are usually such lovable, huggable guys._

"We're just making little raids along trading routes. With Aria's blessing, I might add." Shepard gritted her teeth at that. Disrupting supply chains in the middle of a war might just cost them everything. "Oraka's just some military fossil who came out of retirement to relive the glory days and justify his existence. Losing him won't affect your war in the least. But gaining the Blue Suns… well you know our work."

Unfortunately he was right about that. The Blue Suns were more like a private military than a mercenary company. She supposed she had Zaeed to thank for that. That still didn't mean she was going to just go along with this plan. "You seriously think I'll assassinate a turian general?"

"Aria seems to think so, or else why would she send you? She knew the price. The two of you work it out." He pushed off the wall and headed back into the crowd, stopping and turning back to her. "Oh." He chuckled in a way that raised Shepard's hackles at once. "Tell Aria I still expect her blue ass in bed with me."

Now _that_ was definitely something that Aria wouldn't have agreed to. She had no idea what, if anything, the crime boss' preferences were, but he was utterly certain they wouldn't extend to creepy lechers like Dorner Vosque. She opened up her omni-tool and keyed in Aria's channel.

"What is it Shepard?"

"You knew about this?"

"Can you be more specific?"

"Darner Vosque expects me to kill General Oraka."

"Who cares what Vosque wants, what he needs is for Oraka to stop disrupting his operations. I figured you'd talk to Oraka, see if you can get him to lay off." There was a short pause before she came back. "And if he won't listen to reason call me, and I'll take care of it."

"I don't see the distinction."

"The distinction is that I'm giving you the chance to save his life."

"Right." Always covering all the angles. She didn't know why she had expected anything else. "Why didn't you just tell me this yourself?"

"Vosque needed to see you, needed to realise who he's dealing with. Plus if I have to suffer that scumbag staring at my tits one more time, I might have to kill him." Shepard was almost relieved to hear that part. At least she had understood Aria that much.

"Yeah, he mentioned that uh…"

"That I'm going to sleep with him? We all have our delusions."

"Alright I'll handle this."

"I would expect nothing less."

Even as she was closing the call a salarian was marching up to her, a turian on either shoulder. She recognised the insignia on his lapel at once. She held up her hands as he got nearer.

"Not here for trouble Sayn, I just want to talk about Jona Sederis."

"You're the one coordinating the release, right?" He waved his guards away and they stepped back, staying close by. Sayn came up to talk to her. "My idea you know? Aria came to me looking to gain Eclipse support. I'm leveraging it to bust the boss out."

The solution presented itself in a moment. "Sayn you should run Eclipse."

"Huh?"

She nodded, seeing the genius in it even as she spoke. "You can do it. Leave Sederis locked up and make the deal with Aria yourself."

"Hmm. Aria would be a step up. And you think she'd let me run things?"

"I don't see why not." _If you consider her running you to be a step up._

"Right, right. Then that's the plan." He nodded, and a wide smile spread across his face. "Keep Sederis in jail, I'll call Aria right away."

"Good man."

She checked her map, finding Oraka listed as currently at the Presidium Commons. _If I have to ride these elevators one more time…_

On her way to the elevator her comm pinged again, this time with Bailey on the other end of the line. "Shepard the Council withdrew the release order for Sederis. Aria T'loak, of all people, got 'em to do it. Crazy."

"You can say that again."

"Thanks for your help Shepard."

"No problem."

/|\

General Oraka was easy enough to find, and when she saw him she recognised him. Last time she had seen him had been at the bottom of a bottle in Chora's Den. He looked much better now, lean and alert with a predatory glint in his eye. He clearly recognised her as well, though that was less of a surprise.

"General Oraka."

"Commander Shepard. Or Captain now, if the reports are to be believed."

"They are. You're looking a lot better since Chora's Den, General."

"Yes, neck deep in drink, just before I retired. I'm clean now. Reinstated."

She sat next to him on his bench. "And I hear you're taking on the Blue Suns."

"I need to do my part for the Citadel Captain. The Blue Suns are raiding C-Sec weapons shipments, I'm putting a stop to that. Those mercs are seriously jeopardising the Citadel's ability to defend itself if the war comes here. When the war comes here."

"There are other ways to secure weapons General."

He snorted. "You don't think I've tried? There's a black-market dealer on Citadel right now. But he won't sell his top-line arms." He leaned forwards, resting his chin on his hands. "The Reapers are destroying everything in their path, and I can't stop them. But I can stop the Blue Suns."

She stood and "Let me see what I can do for you."

He sent her a file with a location on it. "I'd appreciate your help, and I'll have a plan of action ready if things fall through."

The location was right there in the Commons, at Cipritine Armory. She jogged over, seeing a Salarian behind the desk. She walked up and smiled at him. He held up his hands and backed away. "Look Commander I don't want any trouble. I'm authorised to sell here and all my arms are legal, see?"

 _Well that's clearly a sign of innocence._ She leaned against the desk and lowered her voice. He came over and leaned in close. "These are light weight weapons. Where's your top end inventory?"

"Shit, you slumming for C-Sec too? I already got harassed by the old turian with the bad attitude." He pushed back off the desk and waved her away. "Yeah I got much better stuff. But it's off the market. Galaxy's going belly up, credit won't mean anything when the Reapers rip through."

"So what exactly are you saying?"

"Whatever happens, I figure there'll be survivors. But it'll be chaos. I'm betting things will run on a barter system. So I'm getting a jump." _Of course. Always a few opportunists._ "My best stock only trades for hard goods and artefacts with real value."

"So what gets me access to your top shelf?"

"Heh." He leaned back close to her. "Turian just waved credits in my face and then spat on it. Nice to see you have flexibility. If you find any rare pieces when you're out saving the galaxy, bring them back. Then I'd be happy to share my top shelf stock with C-Sec, no problem. Outside of that, I gotta stick to my guns."

She nodded and walked away from the kiosk, bringing up her omni tool and syncing to Liara's.

"What is it Maia?"

"I need some Shadow Broker connections."

She looked across the way, seeing Liara still sitting at the table in the café. She stood and walked to the railings, leaning against them and looking across at Shepard. "What do you need me to do?"

"I've got an arms dealer here who wants to deal only in hard goods. Anything you can organise?"

"Someone's future proofing, let me see what I can do."

Shepard's omni-tool binged and she looked down to see a confirmed trade route had just been set up. "It's only trinkets," Liara said. "But it ought to make him happy."

"You're the best babe."

"Are we going with babe now?"

"Sorry, got caught up in the moment."

"No, I like it. See you soon, babe."

She headed back over to the salarian, who was checking his own omni-tool. "Done deal Captain. Check in with General Oraka, you'll see I'm making C-Sec very happy."

Oraka was right where she had left him, though at least now he looked slightly less tense.

"Captain Shepard," he said as she jogged up. "I was just contacted by a black market dealer who's donating high end weapons to C-Sec. He wanted you to know, sounds like you came through

"And the Blue Suns can go about their business."

He nodded and rose from the bench. "Now we'll be focusing on Citadel defence. It won't bring Palaven back, but it's something. Thank you Captain."

He saluted, and she returned it. "Do the best you can General. I have a feeling we're going to need it."

"Understood."

/|\

She had one last trip to make, and she found Aria still in Purgatory, glaring at the dancers. The bodyguards let her past and she lowered herself onto the couch.

"The Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse are in my pocket. I'll send them to war when you're ready for them."

"I have a request for you." Shepard had been thinking about it ever since Aria asked her to unite the mercenary groups.

"I'm intrigued."

"There's a mercenary in Eclipse. Elnora."

"I don't have unit rosters yet Shepard."

"When you get them, Elnora is out. And she gets blackballed or whatever it is you do."

"Such venom. May I enquire as to the reason?"

"You may not. But I want her out."

"Well I suppose you did just give me a not inconsiderable amount of power." Aria stroked her chin, then held out her hand. "Done. Elnora's out."

"Thank you."

"You're getting better at ruthlessness Shepard. Keep it up and I might start to like you."

She didn't have a response for that. And as she left Purgatory, she couldn't help but feel that some of the shine was gone.

 **AN:-** For me the Blue Suns loyalty mission is one of the most morally questionable in the game. This is the middle of a war, and even if you manage to set up a supply chain for C-Sec, the Blue Suns are still disrupting supply lines. That's seriously messed up and potentially could have massive consequences and casualties. Like disrupting supply lines is the sort of thing that armies deliberately try and do to their enemies to make them lose, and now you're helping the Blue Suns to keep doing that? Eesh, not a fan.

I actually had to go back and reread my ME1 novelisation to check this, but yeah, there is a reference to my Shepard meeting Septimus in the first game. I reckon I probably did it as part of the asari consort's optional side mission thing.

The little exchange with Liara was just so I didn't have to either split this into two parts for when Shepard leaves and returns to the Citadel, or justify Shepard taking the Normandy out for a jaunt just to get some trinkets for Kannick. I feel like the little 'are we doing babe now?' exchange is very Brooklyn 99, which is appropriate since I've been rewatching it.

Also, yeah, Elnora. I don't like Elnora, and in the last novelisation Shepard had a pretty major freakout over letting her go, so I decided that she was going to remember that and get a measure of revenge.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN:-** God this book is going to be long.

Chapter Twenty: Return

They had barely pulled out of the dock before Traynor buzzed her communicator.

"We've got an odd one Captain."

She started the march down to the CIC. "Give it to me Traynor."

"Cerberus are attacking Eden Prime."

Shepard stumbled, almost fell, but kept her feet. She stayed rooted in place on the gangway, staring at nothing. "What?"

"Reports are garbled, but Cerberus seems to be attempting some sort of occupation or invasion."

Of course, Traynor had no particular connection to Eden Prime. It was just another mission for her. Shepard forced herself to start walking again. "Why would they attack Eden Prime? It's not particularly strategically well placed and the Prothean beacon doesn't have anything more to reveal." _I hope._

She had reached the CIC, and stepped round to examine Traynor's screen for the incoming mission reports. "Something got out before Cerberus cut ties," Traynor was saying. "I think the Eden Prime colonists might have uncovered something Prothean."

"And that would definitely give Cerberus a reason to attack them." She keyed the comm line at Traynor's station. "Joker. All power to Eden Prime. Get us there as fast as you can."

"Aye aye Captain."

/|\

Eden Prime was a straight shot from the Citadel, which didn't give them a lot of prep time. Shepard would have liked to spend it doing anything other than checking over her new equipment and the updated crew rosters, but unfortunately both kept her fairly busy. Cortez was turning out to be a talented requisitions officer, and had succeeded in procuring her an almost entirely new set of armour. While she was grateful, it did almost mean a lot of stress testing.

They had finally reached their full crew capacity as well, with the final few transfer orders coming in from Alliance command. It felt a little strange to have a crew fully staffed by Alliance personnel for the first time. She had grown so used to relying on skeleton crew she was a little surprised the Alliance thought they needed the full complement.

EDI had requested to join them on the Eden Prime mission, and Shepard had approved the order. She had to get a feel for her potential resources, and Edi was a potentially game changing one. She was also bringing Vega and Garrus. Liara had of course insisted she join the team the moment she had heard the phrase 'Prothean artefact' being bandied about. _Looks like we've got the whole gang for this one_.

As they suited up in the cargo bay Shepard tied to avoid the distressing sense of déjà vu. So many things that had happened to her all those years ago seemed to now be repeating themselves. The last panicked message she had first seen from Eden Prime, now repeated in London. The first time she had ever seen husks, not knowing what they were, now they seemed to haunt her wherever she went. So much had come from that one mission.

They loaded onto the shuttle and Cortez took them down. Joker had got them in close to the atmosphere with the cloaking device activated, so they didn't have a long distance to travel. Thankfully their landing zone was nowhere near the original dig site. She didn't know if she could have handled walking over the exact same ground again.

As they came down through the atmosphere Liara was staring out through the viewscreen. Shepard went to stand next to her, nudging her slightly. She started and looked over.

"Deep thoughts?" Shepard asked with a grin.

Liara smiled and shook her head. "This is where it all began. Where the Prothean beacon gave you the vision that warned us of the Reapers."

"And where Saren launched his first major attack with the geth," Garrus said.

"Yes." Liara stepped away from the window and they rejoined the other huddled around the middle of the shuttle. "And now with Cerberus here. Eden Prime's colonists are under attack again."

Shepard nodded. "Seems like more than just three years ago."

"How bad?" Vega asked.

"Lot of dead civilians. Lost one of my men, Jenkins, to a geth drone."

"Reports said Saren had bombs set up to wipe out the whole colony."

She had almost forgotten that part of it. With everything else that had happened that day defusing the bombs was almost an afterthought. "Not on my watch."

"Damn straight Lola."

"Does returning to the colony cause unpleasant memories?"

 _Oh Edi._ Shepard shrugged, careful to keep her voice level. "I'm fine. Jenkins was a good soldier. He'd be proud of what we're doing here."

"I remember the reports," Garrus said, still hunched over his rifle. "I was busting my ass trying to find evidence against Saren. Hearing he'd attacked a colony while I sat mired in bureaucracy… that was a bad day."

"You always did prefer a straight up fight."

"And you're always good at helping me find them."

"Cerberus hit Eden Prime hard." Liara had data flowing in from every source she could direct at Eden Prime. "Whatever they found here was worth a major offensive. There are survivors elsewhere on the colony, but they killed everyone near the dig site."

 _They deserve better._ Shepard closed her eyes and remembered the scattered corpses of the research team the first time she had come to this planet.

"The Alliance did what it could to evacuate colonists , but Cerberus came in so quickly."

"If we find survivors we'll do what we can." It was an order she barely needed to give. Garrus and Liara knew her well enough by now to know what she would ask. "What about this artefact? Is it part of the Prothean device we found on Mars?"

Liara shook her head. "The Alliance didn't get any specifics about what Cerberus had uncovered. But whatever it is it's better off with us than with Cerberus."

 _Agreed._

Cortez spoke up from the pilot seat. "I'm bringing you in as close to the dig site as I can. No way we'll avoid detection but you should have a few minutes."

"Understood."

"With luck we can get to the dig site before Cerberus knows we're here."

They were barely half a mile from the dig site when Cortez set them down. They jumped out of the shuttle and Cortez pulled straight away, barely waiting until their boots had touched the ground.

Garrus and Vega raced forward to sweep the path ahead, checking in between the pre-fab shelters to make sure no one was hiding out. Liara stepped up next to Shepard, looking over the buildings. Shepard noted the signs of fire damage and bullet holes.

"I've only seen it in archive footage. This was a beautiful colony once."

"It survived Saren," Garrus said from ahead. "It can survive this."

"They rebuilt Mindoir." Shepard hadn't ever gone back. But she had been sent information packages about it. They had wanted her to go and be the public face of the new colony. "It wasn't the same."

"It never is."

Vega took point, with Garrus close in a flanking position. Shepard was still unsure how to deploy Edi, putting her in the middle of the formation. In theory she would be protected from most avenues of assault if it turned out she wasn't able to aid in combat, and if she was then she ought to be able to do some damage. As was usual Shepard brought up the rear with Liara, her sniper rifle out and Liara's biotics flickering in and out of use.

"Look at that," Vega said as they came out from the cluster of prefabs and were able to see out across to the Horizon. "Bits of Prothean tech sticking out of the ground like an old bone."

"You ever see Prothean tech like this Vega?"

"There was something on Fehl Prime. Never had much chance to see it, and nothing this big."

Shepard had to admit that the artefacts on Eden Prime did seem to dwarf most of the other technology. With the exception of Ilos most of the Prothean tech she had ever heard of was confined to single, small items, such as the beacons. Yet Eden Prime seemed to have entire ruined city's worth.

"So Liara," Garrus started speaking as they moved again. "Ever dug up… what do humans call it… a dinosaur?"

Shepard had to cover her mouth as Liara frowned at Garrus' back. She recognised Garrus' joking tone, even if Liara didn't.

"No, dinosaurs and other fossils would be palaeontology. I'm an archaeologist. I study artefacts left by sapient species. The two fields are completely different, and…" she trailed off and Shepard saw a blush spread onto her cheeks. "Oh, you were joking."

"A bit, but at least you're catching on these days."

They had reached the elevator that led down to the dig site. Liara hurried to the controls while Vega and Garrus started searching the surrounding pre-fab shelters, calling out the all clear as they moved from structure to structure. Shepard set up next to Liara, Edi hanging back a little way from the elevator with her submachine gun out.

"Goddess," Liara said after a moment at the controls. "That doesn't seem possible." Shepard had hardly ever heard her sound so shaken. "It's not a Prothean artefact it's… a Prothean."

Shepard frowned and came over to look at the screen as well. "Like the Collectors? Or those bodies we found back on Ilos?"

"Like the bodies we found back on Ilos, but this one's alive."

"Chances of a Prothean surviving 50,000 years seem unlikely," Edi said.

"There were Prothean stasis chambers in the archives on Ilos. The only reason those failed was a lack of power. Cerberus found this in an underground bunker. It still has power." Liara looked past the terminal and into the excavation area. At the bottom Shepard could see the elevator, a single coffin shaped capsule sitting on it. "He's been in stasis for the past 50,000 years. Waiting for us. Think of what we could learn."

All the times they had talked about the Protheans Liara had only spoken of their technology and their potential advances. "What can you tell me about the Protheans? The people, not the technology."

Liara shrugged and started the elevator up. "Given your experience with the Prothean cipher, you probably know as much about them as I do. The Prothean empire spanned the known galaxy, they uplifted countless other species to help them join the galactic community."

"You think they had something like a Council?"

"Yes, exactly. Their cultural and artistic expression are actually quite close to those of the ancient asari. And given their similar interests in helping other species, it's clear that they believed in interspecies cooperation."

Shepard knew enough about anthro- and xeno- pology to know bias when she heard it. "The way you describe them they sound a lot like the asari."

"I'm certain I'm colouring their culture with my own perceptions. Whatever the Protheans were, finding one alive represents an incredible opportunity."

"Good thing we brought our Prothean expert."

The elevator had reached them, the pod sitting silent and still. Liara trotted over to it, running her omni-tool over the surface. "I hope I can help. If this single Prothean was sent into stasis, he could be the foremost scientist of his time, or, perhaps the wisest counsellor." She was starting to babble in the way she always did when she was excited. "Hmm. Cerberus damaged the lifepod when they excavated it. The life signs are unstable."

"Then let's get him out of there."

"No, breaking open the pod would kill him. We have to find the command signal that ends the stasis mode. We also need to figure out how to physically open the pod without doing more damage." Garrus and Vega were coming back from their sweep. Liara looked the way they had come. "Cerberus took over the labs nearby to research what they found at the dig-site. That's likely our best bet."

Edi cocked her head to the side and her eyes unfocused. "I am detecting an incoming shuttle."

"Let's pick it up people, find me something."

"I might have found something while we were doing the sweep," Vega said. "Follow me."

They double timed it through the pre-fab shelters, Shepard close on Vega's flank. There a half dozen bodies in one of the shelters, all gunned down as they were sitting, playing cards from what she could tell. _They didn't even have a chance._ An old fire was coming back to her gut, one she hadn't felt in years. She remembered the first time she had ever encountered Cerberus, remembered Toombes, broken and defeated by years of torture. So much pain, and she still hadn't found a way to stop it.

Vega brought her to a locked door, and Edi got to work, cracking the lock in a matter of seconds. "The Cerberus shuttle will be here shortly," she reported as they stepped into a cramped research lab, where two Prothean artefacts had been hooked up to some sort of interface terminal. She recognised the design as similar to the Mars setup, with viewscreens for whatever data they could parse out.

Edi stepped up to the terminal. "Accessing files."

The viewscreens came to life, at first a whirl of colours, but then the coalesced into shapes and sounds that Shepard could understand. She felt a pressure building at the bridge of her nose, like someone was pressing a brick into her face.

On the screen she saw Reapers descend onto a battered planet. It was barren of vegetation, and fires raged everywhere. Somehow she knew that it was Eden Prime though, and she was seeing it 50,000 years in the past. This must have been the final stand of the Protheans, for all the good it had done them.

The image shifted and was watching a single Prothean now, gunning down Collectors with a particle beam. She hadn't quite realised before they the Protheans and the Collectors really were the same species, she had always thought of them separately in her mind. But now she saw that the Collectors were only husks of the Protheans. She could hardly imagine fighting so many. A thousand thousand Collectors swarmed all around as the final few Protheans tried desperately to hold them back, retreating to some sort of bunker.

More and more of the Prothean troops were cut down, until only one remained, falling back into the bunker and calling out. "Victory, seal the bulkheads!"

A green model of a Prothean sprang to life, and she recognised it as a VI. "Acknowledged."

The great doors slammed shut, but not before a dozen explosions rippled through the bunker, jarring one of the pods loose and crashing it to the floor. The prothean she watched crouched down over it, setting his rifle down.

"How many have we lost?"

"Reaper forces have destroyed approximately 300,000 lifepods."

She watched as the prothean entered a series of commands and the lifepod opened to reveal a blackened corpse. "A third of our people." There was such defeat in his voice.

"Alert, north side bulkhead cannot be sealed, hostiles detected."

The prothean stepped up at once, grabbing his rifle and moving with renewed vigour. "Then all forces to the North!"

The image broke apart, and the pressure released from her skull. She took a deep breath in and blinked hard, coming back to herself in the room.

"I think I can duplicate that to open the lifepod," she said.

"Wait." Liara stared at her. "You understood that?"

"You didn't?"

"No. All we saw was static. Cerberus was trying to make sense of it. Without success." Her expression cleared. "The Prothean cipher you received on Feros. It lets you see the images as a Prothean would, and understand their language."

"Whatever it does I saw the video, and how they sealed the lifepods."

"Perfect, then we just need the signal they use to activate stasis mode."

They stepped back out of the lab and Shepard's shield immediately pinged as a long range rifle bullet came at her. She dropped on instinct and rolled into cover behind the door frame, pulling her rifle off her back and unfolding it. The Cerberus troops were quite far away, but they were closing fast.

She didn't even have to question Garrus, she knew he would have his sniper rifle up and ready. She leaned out from cover and set the rifle to her eye, easily tuning out the thrum of Vega's assault rifle as he put down covering fire.

Another patented three-man fire team, heading over the rooftops of the shelters. One coming up the middle, one to the left and one to the right. She sighted on the one on the left, let out a half breath, then fired. It was almost too easy a shot for her, and the high velocity bullet cut clean through the shield, folding her man in half at the waist. Almost simultaneously Garrus' rifle barked and the man on the right flank dropped out of sight as well.

The man in the centre fell prone and she hissed in frustration as she worked another heat sink into her rifle. She didn't have any sort of angle on him. But she didn't need to worry. A biotic field opened up over his position and slowly dragged him into view, where he fell easy prey to her rifle.

"Edi?"

"Another shuttle is en route, but it seems they are unable to commit many more forces at this time."

"Let's get moving then people. We still need the signal to get him out of cryo."

"There is another room of similar dimensions and power drain in the next shelter over."

"Makes sense they would keep the labs close by."

"Let's move!"

There was another locked door in the next shelter, but it provided no more challenge to Edi, who had it open in a second. They filed in again and Edi set to opening the next file. This time, prepared for the sensation, Shepard recognised the familiar uncomfortable vertigo she associated with her memories of the Prothean beacon.

It was a similar picture as before. Reapers descended on the planet, a dozen at least that she could see. It seemed to be a little earlier though, and she saw what she knew instinctively to be the same Prothean as before, this time flanked by two others. The two others were conversing.

"I never thought our Empire would fall."

The prothean she had seen before spoke. "It won't." She realised that his deep voice was unusual even for the Protheans. Though they had a similar timbre, his was far lower. "We will sleep here until the Reapers return to dark space. Then we will rise, a million strong."

The two others nodded. "For the Empire."

"For the Empire. Get to your stasis pod." As the two walked way, the leader spoke to thin air. "Victory, broadcast the stasis readiness signal to all lifepods."

The VI flickered into life beside him. "And the refugees who have yet to reach the bunker?"

"Their sacrifice will be honoured in the coming Empire."

And with that the vision was gone, leaving her only the faint after impressions of the damage that had been yet to come. She shook her head to clear it and saw Liara looking at her in concern.

"You understood that one too?"

"Yeah, I've got the signal the Protheans used to activate stasis mode."

"Then let us hurry, the second shuttle will be here soon."

They ran back out towards the dig site as the shuttle swooped overhead, the door open to allow the troops inside to pepper them with fire. Shepard's shields sparked and dimmed but none of her warning indicators came on. They ran for the elevator, skidding to a halt when they saw the bridge had been retracted.

"Damnit."

Shepard looked over the edge. She hadn't quite realised before just how dramatic a drop it had been.

"We have to get across!" Garrus yelled. "That shuttle will tear us to shreds."

It was coming back again, and as it swooped down for another attack run a crazy idea came into Shepard's head.

"Bunker down!" She called, sprinting for the edge of the chasm.

"Shepard no!"

She was already in flight, pushing off with every bit of power her artificially induced muscles could produce she launched herself into the air, just as the shuttle passed by at its lowest altitude. It wasn't quite low enough for her to land on the roof, but she caught the lip of the open shuttle door and dangled there, the Cerberus troops inside staring down at her in what she could only hope was shock. Before they could recover their senses she drew her pistol and put down all three of them with a shot to the faceplate.

Holstering the gun she hauled herself up into the cabin, drawing the gun again and sighting it on the pilot, who was just turning to see what was happening. She fired the second his head was in view and it disappeared into paste. Darting forwards she leaned over to take the controls, setting the shuttle into a gentle descent to land safely on the other side, next to the elevator.

She stepped out to see her team on the other side, staring at her in disbelief. She grinned and gave them a wave, then activated the bridge controls. They crossed, still open mouthed. Vega was the first to speak.

"And you give _me_ crap for pulling stupid stunts with shuttles?"

"I just don't like to be outdone Vega. Rule number one of crewing with Shepard."

"Cerberus reinforcements incoming," Edi said, cutting off anything else. "Heavy armour with them."

"Alright people let's get into position. Liara, transmit that signal now and start the wake-up process. We don't want to hang around once he's up."

"On it."

She could see the shuttle on the horizon, and could clearly make out the ATLAS dangling underneath it. "Garrus, get into the shelters, sniping position. Vega, by the pod, but don't get too close, it'll be a target. Edi and Liara, find cover where you can."

Suiting actions to words she headed back to where she had parked the shuttle, programming in a new course and stepping out as it rose slowly from the ground. Most shuttles had some sort of autodrive capability, and as she suspected all of the Cerberus shuttles had been slaved together to allow for central command. She had activated the 'linkup with nearest friendly' program, but without a human to shut it down when the shuttle got close the VI wasn't smart enough to judge the distances right.

The incoming shuttle banked heavily as her battering ram came close, disengaging the mech far from the dig site instead of dropping it on the heads. The shuttle swooped low, pursued by the drone, and she saw the door open and eject a handful of troops before the two shuttles collided. There was no spectacular ball of flame, but with a wrenching sound they spun out of sight below the cliff edge and were gone.

The two fireteams moved quickly towards them, the mech behind. They were using the cover well, and keeping her people pinned, but they were at a disadvantage, forced to move up while her people could stay in cover. Shepard focused her fire on the mech, knowing Garrus would pick off the agents. Her first shot dropped its shields, her second putting a crack in the front screen. Her third and final shot penetrated the glass, shattering it to pieces even as her shot buried itself into the driver's chest. The mech went limp, then toppled over into the dirt.

As she reloaded she made a quick check on her squad. Liara and Edi were keeping well to cover, keeping up the suppressing fire while Vega and Garrus took advantage of their flanking positions to pick off the agents behind cover. Shepard didn't bother to intervene or issue any further orders, letting them work as the unit she knew they could be.

Even as the final trooper fell Liara was checking her omni-tool, standing up and looking across to the pod. "It's ready."

 **AN:-** Kinda funny that Liara mentions the Prothean cipher in this chapter, because in my ME1 novelisation at 70,000 words in Shepard was just about to receive it, because I was practically at the end of the game.

This is the first time I'm doing the old 'Shepard brings everyone on mission' thing. Usually to get this I have to play the game myself to get one set of dialogue, then watch playthroughs by other people to get alternate dialogue to mix and match. I always seem to have characters I'm just not sure with, and unfortunately here that's an even bigger issue with the squad size being so small. But Edi and Vega both I'm just comfortable or confident with. Ah well, we do what we can.

Funnily enough I have a note from right back when I was writing ME1 to have Shepard tease Liara about being a paleontologist vs an archaeologist. I wish I'd written it in now, then I could claim copyright infringement. (thought to be fair, it's a pretty common misconception and I'm not the first to use that for humorous purposes either so eh)

Anthropology is explicitly the study of human and human culture, so therefore the study of non human cultures cannot be anthropology. I figured xenopology would probably be the term used.

Biggest change is obviously Shepard's little stunt with the shuttle. The game was just so disappointing and pointless to me at that point. It's clearly just a way to get you to take lightly longer getting back to the pod, therefore feeling like you're getting a bit more DLC for your money. I considered just having the bridge stay up, then decided Shepard could be a badass instead.

Javik is coming!


	21. Chapter 21

**AN:-** Now it's time to meet a real, live Prothean!

Chapter Twenty-One: Awaken

Shepard keyed in the same sequence she had seen in her vision and the pod cracked open, emitting a hiss of cryo gases. It juddered and clanked, clearly damaged from the ages and the excavation. The doors couldn't open fully, but they could open enough for her to see the prothean inside.

He looked exactly as she remembered from her visions, more than that she was sure on some unconscious level that it was _the_ prothean she had seen. The commander of the others and the one who had seemed to be leading the defence. It was all she could do to stare at him, feeling a deep rooted unease to imagine what he represented. The very last of a dead race, 50,000 years extinct and now before her.

"Goddess," Liara breathed. She coughed and tried to sound more professional. "It may take him some time to fully regain consciousness."

Even as she said it his eyes were opening and he tilted his head to look at them. Before she even thought to say something he roared and let rip with a biotic punch that sent her flying back towards the edge of the platform, crashing hard on her back, the breath knocked out of her.

She rolled onto her front, scrambling to her feet as the prothean rolled out of the pod, hitting the deck hard and struggling to his feet. He started to run, but tripped and fell, his legs unsteady and uncoordinated.

Garrus moved to intercept him but Shepard waved him off. "Be careful! He's confused."

The prothean had made it to the cliff edge, where he stopped, and rose slowly to his full height, staring out across the landscape. Shepard didn't need to look to know he was staring at the ruins that lay before them. Now she looked at them again she could see just how truly little had been left from what had once been a city. She wondered if he would even know it was the same planet.

She made her way over slowly, careful to tread heavily, trying to make him aware of her presence. Liara was close behind her.

"Remember, it's been 50,000 years for us." Shepard couldn't think of anything else to do but touch his shoulder. She reached out, hearing Liara behind her. "For him, it's only been…"

Her glove touched his armour, and she was seized by a vision, but this went far deeper than the previous ones. Direct contact put her inside his head, watching from his eyes, feeling the raw emotions coursing through him. Anger flooded her as she rounded on the glowing green VI.

"No, the bunker is falling. There is no other option."

"There are pods online!" She shouted. "Those soldiers are still alive!"

"Their sacrifice will be honoured in the coming Empire." The sting of her own words felt like a shot in the gut. She growled, a fist clenching and flaring into biotic power. But it would do no good against the holographic construct. "Preparing neutron bombardment." Victory said. "Get to your lifepod now."

She ran for the only pod left open, lowering herself into it. As she settled down to rest she felt the bone-deep ache that she had carried with her for weeks now. There had been one last chance, and she had failed. The last hope of the Prothean Empire now burned with the planet. As the doors closed and the pod began to slide into the wall she closed her eyes and uttered a silent prayer for the trillions who were now surely doomed.

"Neutron bombardment underway." Victory was incapable of emotion, incapable of understanding how its actions now doomed them all. The chamber rattled and shook as she neutron bomb exploded, wiping out the husks of what had once been friends, fellows. When it ended the VI spoke directly to her. "The bunker is secure, Commander Javik."

"What is left of it. A few hundred people. How am I to rebuild an Empire from that?"

There was a short pause, and she could almost imagine the VI felt sorry for what it had to say. "Further adjustments may be necessary. The neutron purge compromised the facility."

"Clarify."

"Sensors are damaged. Automated reactivation is not an option." She didn't understand. Some part of her knew that automated reactivation had always been the plan, but she shied away from accepting what its absence would mean. "You will remain in stasis until a new culture discovers this bunker. This may lead to a power shortage."

 _No!_ She slammed her fists against the pod doors, but they remained steadfastly closed. "Do not shut off more pods!" She hammered against the door, beating it until her fists bled. "I need the few that are left!"

"Power needs will be triaged appropriately." A wave of drowsiness swept over her and she knew the cryo sleep was oncoming. However many centuries the Reapers would pillage, then millenia before any society became even advanced enough to develop sentience. As she began to drift into the darkness she heard the VI. "You will be the voice of our people."

I will be more than that.

Shepard's head jerked backwards and she stumbled, falling to her knees and throwing up onto the grass. She had never experienced anything like that before. The beacons had been an invasion but that had been something else entirely. Her hands shook and she looked around wildly to see familiar faces, looking down at her in concern. _Eden Prime. Cerberus. Prothean._ A confused jumble of thoughts bombarded her as she tried to push away the memories of the emotions that had coursed through her. They weren't hers, but they stung as though they were.

She turned to see the prothean on his knees as well, still staring out at the ruins. He felt her gaze and spoke, softly.

"How many others?"

"Just you." She crawled back to her feet. "You can understand me?"

"Yes." He rose as well, turning to her. "Now that I have read your physiology, your nervous system. Enough to understand your language."

"So you were reading me while I was seeing…" She couldn't put into words what she had just experienced.

"Our last moments. Our failure."

There was nothing she could say. How could she hope to comfort the last vestige of an extinct race? She felt that rage and fear and uncertainty in her still. Words wouldn't be nearly enough.

Cortez broke into the moment. "Shepard, whatever you did got Cerberus interested."

Javik had been looking at her companions. "Asari. Human. Turian. I am surrounded by primitives." He saw Edi, and obviously knew what she was as well. "Synthetic. This is not a good beginning."

Shepard stepped up next to him. "It's not safe here. Will you join us?"

"You fight the Reapers?"

"Yes."

"Then we will see."

She held out her arm, expecting some sort of greeting, but he only stared at it, then turned and walked away from her, heading back to the cliff edge.

 _If nothing else,_ she thought as Cortez brought the shuttle in close for pickup. _This is going to lead to one hell of a debriefing._

/|\

"A living Prothean?"

Shepard nodded, finding she actually quite enjoyed the look of shock on Hackett's face. It wasn't often he emoted. "That's correct Admiral. But he's not quite what we expected."

"Captain our scientists barely understand what they need to do here. If the prothean can help us construct this device, we need his cooperation."

 _Right back to business I see._ "Understood Admiral. How's the rest of the front?"

"We're losing colonies faster than we can evacuate. We've never seen a force like the Reapers."

"He has Admiral."

"Can he help us?"

"I intend to find out." She had a feeling he would help even without prompting, but she needed to know if his help was going to be to her aid or detriment. She didn't need another Cerberus situation on her hands.

"Good. Cerberus slipped up and gave us a new weapon. Don't let it go to waste. Hackett out."

As Hackett's hologram dissolved Liara buzzed her. "Shepard I need you down in the Port Cargo Hold. It's about our new guest."

"On my way."

When she got to the cargo hold she found Javik surrounded by Alliance guards she hadn't ordered there. They were all armed, their weapons trained on him.

"What's the problem?" She asked the head of the guard, a man named Comly.

Liara spoke up from behind him. She looked as grumpy as Shepard had ever seen her. "I've tried to make the room more accommodating but they're not letting me talk to him."

"Apologies doctor." Comly sounded more put out than apologetic. "Contact protocol with a new species, assume hostility. We had to dust off the regulations."

Shepard looked past him to where Javik was kneeling quietly, apparently deep in some sort of meditation. Aside from the one confused biotic attack he hadn't shown a single sign of hostility to any of them. _And didn't assuming hostility work out so well for us in the past._

"But he's not new," Liara argued. "I've spent my life studying protheans."

Comly opened his mouth to protest but Shepard cut him off, holding up a hand. "At ease. I don't think our guest will be a problem." She looked past him again to Javik, who was rising slowly up from his kneeling position. "Will he?" She stepped past Comly to meet Javik.

"That depends on you." He moved like lightning, snatching her wrist and holding it up. Every marine trained their weapon on him but she was obstructing their line of fire. "I can sense fear in you. Anxiety and distress." He let her go. "The Reapers are winning."

She was vividly reminded of when she had woken Grunt up and been similarly attacked. She suspected this situation was going to be a bit more complicated. "What do you mean, you sense?"

"All life provides clues for those who can read them." He stepped quietly over to a table where he had set up some sort of reflecting pool. "It is in your cells, your DNA. Experience is a biological marker."

"Then what exactly did I experience back on Eden Prime? That was a hell of a flashback."

"The battle left its own mark on me. I communicated this to you." He turned to look at her. "It can work both ways."

"Like your beacons?"

"Yes. Which…" He gave her a look she couldn't read, then shot forwards again, grabbing her by the shoulders.

The vision forced itself into her head, with enough force to make her cry out. Pain blasted through her and she saw worlds burn. Alien creatures writhed in agony as flames consumed her. He let her go and she dropped to the deck on her hands and knees, gasping for breath.

"You saw it all! Our destruction, our warnings!" He shouted it at them. "Why weren't they heeded? Why didn't you prepare for the Reapers human?"

She got to her feet, massaging her arm where he had grabbed her. "It's Captain. And nobody could understand your warnings. The beacon nearly killed me."

He gave an unmistakeable sneer. "Then communication is still primitive in this cycle."

"We pieced together what we could," she shot back. "And used it to stop a Reaper invasion three years ago."

"Then the extinction was delayed?"

Shepard looked back at Comly, who still had his marines on guard. She waved for him to leave. As he passed Liara Shepard saw a flash of a blue tongue being poked out at him. She raised an eyebrow at Liara, who was back to being the picture of sweetness and innocence.

"We have your plans for the device," she said, walking over and bringing up the display on her omni-tool. "We're going to build it."

"Device?"

Shepard felt her heart sink as Liara closed out the display. "The weapon your people were working on. We'd hoped you could tell us how to finish it."

"We never finished it. It was too late."

At least he knew about its existence. "Then I take it you don't know anything about the Catalyst?"

"No. I was a soldier, not a scientist. Skilled in one art: killing."

He went back to stand at his reflecting pool. Shepard sighed and glanced at Liara. She looked crestfallen, and Shepard knew it was because of more than just his lack of knowledge about the device. This Prothean wasn't shaping up to be anything like they had imagined their forerunners.

"What was your mission?" She asked.

"Among my people, there were… avatars of many traits. Bravery, strength, cunning. A single exemplar for each."

"So what are you?"

"The embodiment of vengeance. I am the anger of a dead people, demanding blood to be spilled for the blood we lost. Only when the last Reaper has been destroyed will my purpose be fulfilled. I have no other reason to exist." He turned back to look at her, his expression fierce. "Those who share my purpose become allies. Those who do not become casualties."

He sounded like a fanatic. In fact he sounded dangerously close to the Illusive Man. "Nothing in our fight against the Reapers has been that cut and dried."

"Because you still have hope that the war will end with your honour intact."

"I do." _I have to._ She felt Liara's hand briefly clutch hers.

"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls, and ask the ghosts if honour matters." He stared her down, and under his gaze she found she suddenly had nothing to say. "The silence is your answer."

Thankfully, Liara broke the tension, walking past them both to where a small piece of Prothean technology had been placed. "We found this at the dig site," she said quietly. "I assume it belongs to you."

"It is a memory shard."

"Could it help us with the Device?"

"No, it contains only pain." He seemed to be calmer now, turning back to his reflecting pool without even glancing to the memory shard. "But I will help you fight. And the last thing the Reapers hear before they die will be the last voice of the Protheans sending them to their grave."

Shepard turned to leave, but Liara stayed.

"If you don't mind, I have a few more questions I'd like to ask."

 _I should have known._ "Here it comes," she said, earning herself a glare.

"I've written over a dozen studies on your species. I've published in several journals tha-"

"Amusing. Asari have finally mastered writing."

"I'm sorry?" Shepard had to cover a smile at how affronted Liara looked.

"Never mind. What do you wish to know?"

"Is there anything more you can tell us about the device your people were trying to build?"

"We heard only stories. They said our scientists were constructing a great machine that had the power to defeat the Reapers."

"You never saw it?"

"By that point the Empire was smashed into pieces. None of us knew what the others were doing."

"Well if we don't finish it soon, the same will be true of us." Shepard drawled. "What about your war?"

"Many of the details were lost. The conflict lasted for centuries. Those that faced the Reapers in the beginning were long dead when I was born. There were memory shards however, passed down from soldier to soldier. They gave us fragments of what happened."

"Several years ago we found a Prothean VI that called itself Vigil on the planet Ilos. He was the caretaker of a research project."

"During my life, Ilos was only a rumour. It was said we had cities there, built on the ruins of a civilisation before us, the Inusannon." Shepard remembered suddenly the statues they had found on Ilos. She had wondered at the time if they were Prothean, but had barely given it any thought after they had found the Collectors. Now she thought about it it was obvious that those statues couldn't have been anything Prothean. Javik was still talking though. "If our scientists did have a research facility, whatever they were doing was secret."

Liara nodded. "Yes, Vigil said they wiped all traces of themselves from the records so the Reapers couldn't find them."

"The scientists eventually went into cryogenic stasis," Shepard told him.

"More of my people survived?"

"No." She regretted having mentioned it. For a moment she had almost felt the hope radiating off him. "But they did stop the Reapers from taking control of the Citadel in this cycle, delaying their invasion."

"I never saw the Citadel. It was captured long before I was born."

That was an astonishing thought. No matter how bad their war was going, they still had that central bastion. She hadn't realised just how much of a difference those Prothean scientists had made all those milllenia ago. If they hadn't prevented the Reapers from using the Citadel as their entry point, the war could have gone very differently.

"I…" Liara stammered. "I don't think I have anything else to ask." Shepard couldn't believe that, but if Liara was even half as overwhelmed as Shepard then it was no wonder she needed some time to process.

"Thank you for talking with us." Shepard said. "I never imagined actually meeting a prothean."

"This has been amusing."

"Oh?"

"To discover the most primitive races of my time now rule the galaxy. The asari, the humans, the turians."

"There's also the salarians."

"The lizard people evolved?"

Shepard wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic, but if anything could survive the millenia she was sure it would be a sense of sarcasm. "I believe they're amphibian."

"They used to eat flies." Now she was certain. _Fantastic. Another snarky alien._ "Captain. You may count on me. I am known as Javik."

It only then occurred to her that at no point had he introduced himself formally. "Then welcome aboard the Normandy Javik."

He only nodded to her, but after her experiences with the emotional feedback, she was quite glad of that.

 **AN:-** I was tempted to leave the bit when he wakes up on the end of the last chapter, but it would have made that chapter 5000 words, which is about where I start getting itchy to cut it. Also, it would have left me wondering what to put in this next chapter. This way they're both around 3000 words and neatly contain the whole mission between them. I do think about things like pacing when I'm writing.

I decided to go the full route of having Shepard feel as though she _is_ Javik for when he touches her. This isn't how she experiences most of the visions, but then she's never had direct contact with a Prothean before, only beacons. It stands to reason that the direct process, especially from a disoriented Prothean who from his perspective literally just watched his people die, would be a bit more intense. In the game it even knocks Javik to his knees.

Again I wrote up this entire conversation, but edited it down. It doesn't make sense they would bombard Javik will all their questions at once, like they do in the game, so I'll be saving them up to ration out in other conversations over the next few chapters.


End file.
